Now What?
by Wandergirl108
Summary: Chell has finally escaped Aperture Science and GLaDOS. What happens next? What does she do? How does she feel about everything she's been through? And who is she, anyway? Please note that this story IS COMPLETE as of now.
1. Now what?

So I'm free now. After all these years, and all this chaos, and all those deathtraps, I'm finally free. And, I even get to take one of the Companion Cubes with me. Will this one speak to me? None of them ever have, but that could just be because I don't speak, either. This one looks pretty banged-up, but they're very strong; I'm sure it's all right.

I take a deep breath. _Fresh air._ When was the last time I breathed fresh air? I literally can't remember. I look around again, and see nothing but yellow grass waving in the wind in all directions. _Wind._ I can't remember having ever felt real wind before, either. The blue sky extends in all directions above me, as well. And there are clouds. Clouds…no robot made these clouds - they're random, and natural, and uncontrolled.

_Freedom._

I spend several minutes, standing in the sun as it shines on me, feeling the wind blow around me, listening to a songbird in the distance…I even get to close my eyes. I have nothing to be afraid of anymore. I'm not a slave in a place where everything is designed to kill me. All that time in Aperture Science, I was afraid to even blink; now, I can close my eyes and relax, for the first time I can remember.

I just stand still for a few minutes, reveling in the outside world and freedom. Then, I open my eyes, look around again, and suddenly, I realize something:

I don't know what to do now.

All my memories are of being stuck in a maze of deathtraps, with someone or other always telling me what to do and where to go. I'd always had the option of obeying or disobeying, but…now, I don't have those options. I'm alone. All alone. Better than being stuck down in that place with Her, yes, but still…I don't know what to do. I'd worked so hard to get here, but I'd never thought about what to do next. What's more, I'm truly free - there's nothing blocking me from going in any direction, no walls or barriers that outline any sort of path. I have no way of knowing if I'm going in the wrong direction. For that matter, I don't even know what it is I'm supposed to be looking for now. Other humans, maybe? Where would they be? What would they do if they saw me? How would I be able to communicate with them? It would be nice to hear words spoken from an organic life form for a change, but…I don't speak. I don't even know _how_ to speak.

I sit down on the Companion Cube. I don't have to keep standing up, and I don't have to run anymore. That's nice, but…I don't know what to do.

I take a deep breath. I don't have to hurry anywhere. I can take the time to get my thoughts in order. Trying to relax, I start going through everything I know.

_I know my name is Chell. I know I'm alive. I know I'm a human being. I know I'm a girl. I know I spent many years in cryosleep. I know I can't remember anything from before I was first enslaved by Aperture Science and Her, and I know that that's probably because I was in cryosleep for so long that I suffered brain damage. I know everything that happened to me since I first woke up in the Aperture Science Testing Facility all those years ago. I know She finally let me go. I know I don't have to be afraid of Her anymore. I know about Cave Johnson, Caroline, and the general history of Aperture Science. I know I've probably been poisoned by at least one of the substances I came into contact with in the bottom layers of the Aperture Science building. I know how to use a Portal Gun to its full potential. I know how to press buttons. I know how to open doors. I know how to pull levers. I know how to stand, sit, walk, run, jump, and lie down. I know how to breathe. I know how to obey or disobey orders, and how to judge which option is less likely to kill me. I know how to make split-second decisions. I know how to survive an endless maze of deathtraps. I know how to pick things up and put them down. I know some things about the outside world. I know about daytime, nighttime, the sun, the moon, the sky, clouds, weather, wind, plants, and animals. I know enough about humans to be able to live in a society, more or less. I know I need food and water to survive. I know I'm sitting on a Companion Cube. I know it's daytime right now._

Okay. A lot of those things don't really matter too much just now. Now, what do I know I _don't_ know?

_I don't know how to speak. I don't know how to communicate with anyone or anything, except through obeying or disobeying orders. I don't know what my life was like before She first trapped me. I don't know how long I was in cryosleep. I don't know how to tell time. I don't know how to find or make food. I don't know where to find water. I don't know where to go. I don't know where I am. I don't know where I'm from. I don't know why She gave me this Companion Cube. I don't know if anyone alive knows me, or even if anyone knows _of_ me. I don't know if there even _are_ any humans in the world anymore. I don't know what to do. I don't know what else I don't know._

Okay. So that's cleared up. What are my options?

_I could sit here until I die of dehydration. I could bang on that door and ask to be let back in. I could stand up and start walking in some direction or other. I can start walking in some direction or other and take the Companion Cube with me. I can take some time to rest before I start walking in some direction or other, with or without the Companion Cube._

Not very many options, and the only two that don't involve walking in some direction or other are the one that guarantees death and the one I absolutely will not do, whether I'd fail or succeed. There's nothing else for it. I have to move.

Should I take this Companion Cube with me? Well…why not? Maybe it can help me…

Should I go right now? I might as well, while I still have the energy and it's still daytime…

Okay then.

I stand up again, turn around, and pick up the Companion Cube. I look around for a minute, trying to choose a direction, then begin walking in the direction opposite the door I just came out of.

As I step off the bare square of land surrounding the exit and into the tall, yellow grass, I feel a thrill as the plants crush under my boots - not because I'm killing the plants, but because I can't remember the last time I walked through a place carpeted with vegetation. I am truly free.

Two steps later, something catches my foot, and I trip and fall. Fortunately, I have the reflexes to move the Companion Cube out of the way before I hit my head on it. After taking a moment to catch my breath, I lift my head and turn around to see what tripped me. I then discover that the heel springs on my long-fall boots have become entangled with the grass.

_Long-fall boots. I don't need them anymore…_

I turn over and sit up. I'm free now, so there's no need to fear dying of an otherwise-deadly fall. I can't make portals, either, so…I don't need those heel springs. The boots themselves will probably be helpful, but if I can just detach the springs…

It takes me ten minutes with each boot before I finally get the springs off me. I have to tear at the fabric with my fingers; fortunately, even though the braces are designed to take heavy falls, the boots themselves aren't made from the strongest fabric in the world, plus they've been through a lot of stress. When I at last get the two metal bars off me, I throw them back in the direction of the elevator. _I'm going to leave it all behind,_ I think determinedly. _I'm free now._

I start to get back on my feet. Just before I push myself up into a crouch, I realize that I don't remember ever walking without those heel springs. With that in mind, I carefully push myself onto my feet and slowly start to stand up.

I don't even rise two inches before I fall backwards. I'm putting too much weight on my back, since I'm not used to not having those springs bracing me.

Two more things to add to the lists of things I do and don't know:

_I know I can't walk through this grass with heel springs._

_I don't know how to walk without heel springs._

I sigh, but I don't have the strength try and get up. I feel exhausted. The adrenal vapor that fills the air in the Aperture Science Testing Facility is quickly wearing off, and all the stress and exertion I've been through since I met Wheatley is starting to catch up with me.

_Okay,_ I think; _I guess I _should_ rest before I try to go anywhere. I drank some of that water that was pouring through the pipes deep underground - it probably poisoned me, but at least I know I won't die of dehydration for a couple of days. I can just…sleep. Naturally. Not cryosleep. Just rest…_

I close my eyes. The last of the adrenaline that's been pumping through my system for the past couple of days wears off completely, and the wave of exhaustion that crashes down on me is so strong, I'm instantly asleep. Lying on my back, in some tall grass, with the sun shining on me and no fear of any AI trying to kill me, I'm _finally_ asleep.


	2. A New Journey Begins

It's the middle of the night when I wake up. It's dark, but that's comforting - it was always light in the Aperture Science Facility, even when the light was just red backlights behind some walls. Nothing's trying to trick my brain into thinking it's always daytime anymore. The faint, natural light from the moon is so beautiful…

I look up at the moon. Just looking at it, I can almost feel the Portal Gun in my hands, the pain of the explosion I'd just survived, and the desperation of the entire situation when I had shot a portal all the way up there. I'd remembered Cave Johnson saying that lunar dust was conductive to portals, and I'd had no other ideas. I don't know how the portal got all the way there in time, but…it had worked.

I close my eyes and sigh. I know Wheatley's out there now. Him and that corrupted core that was so obsessed with space. I'm sure that that core's very happy, but Wheatley…Now that he's not in Her body anymore, has he come to his senses? Is he sorry?

I remember Wheatley's silly, nervous personality and smile. Maybe he _had_ been a moron, but he had also been my friend - until Her body corrupted him, that is. There has to be something in that system that makes any AI who inhabits it turn evil. There has to be…

I sit up. Thinking about everything I've been through is all fine and good - in fact, it's easier now that I've rested - but I have to get moving. I have to figure out how to stand and walk without heel springs. Now.

I rise into a crouching position, bracing myself forward with my hands; I know I need to put less weight on my heels and back, so leaning forward for starters is probably a good idea. I then slowly shift my weight backwards slightly and lift my hands off the ground.

Almost instantly, I lose my balance and fall again. Part of me is tempted to give up, but what would that get me? _Never give up,_ I remind myself. _You've slept; now it's time to go._

I push myself up again. I never give up - that's the only thing that's kept me alive for this long. To have come so far, then die because I can't figure out how to walk…No. I won't give up now. I'll never, _ever_ give up.

It takes me about seven total tries before I can even balance myself while crouching low to the ground. Once I'm there, I hold the position for a minute or two, then slowly start to unbend my knees. I'm trying so hard to keep myself balanced in a crouch, however, that after I rise a few inches, I fall forward. No matter; I push myself up again. I _will_ figure this out.

It takes a couple of hours before I figure out just exactly how to balance myself while rising and standing up straight; the night sky is already starting to brighten with pre-dawn light. Finally, though, I'm standing up, all on my own. Having my feet flat on the ground, even in my boots, feels a little weird, but I'm standing up.

Now I have to move.

I slowly start to turn back in the direction I was going. I lift one foot as I turn, and almost immediately, I fall back down - I know how to balance my weight now, but I still have to figure out how to shift it.

I start to get frustrated with myself. The frustration makes me all the more determined, and I rise to my feet again. I'm a little unsteady, but I can do it without too much trouble.

Suddenly, I start to get lightheaded. I squeeze my eyes shut and force myself not to pass out. Once the feeling passes, I finally notice that I'm hungry. I've spent so much time in Aperture Science, ignoring any complaints my body might make about what I'm doing or not doing; but now, I have to pay attention. Then again, I don't have anything to eat…

I remember when Wheatley had commented that I wouldn't starve because the Aperture Science building was overrun with potatoes, and I smile ruefully. I should have taken a potato with me. I should have eaten some of Her myself, when She was a potato - not enough to damage Her, but enough to give me a little bit of sustenance.

_"Her"_…It crosses my mind then that I never knew Her name. She _must_ have had a name - the scientists who built Her must have had some name to call Her by, or at least an experiment number or something. But no, I don't know Her name - Wheatley had only ever referred to Her as "Her" or "She", and She had never introduced herself. The only name I know is Caroline…

I realize I'm letting my mind wander, and I stop myself; I can think about this once I find water or something, or at least until I can figure out how to walk. I have to ignore my hunger for now, too. (I try not to think about the fact that I won't be able to recognize most edible things in nature.) I need to grab the Companion Cube and start walking.

Then it hits me: I'll need to put more weight on my back while I'm carrying the Companion Cube. It'll be easier to walk when I'm carrying it…

I slowly get down on my hands and knees and shuffle myself into a position facing the Companion Cube I'd dropped after I fell the first time. Even in the faint combination of pre-dawn light and fading moonlight, I can see how charred it is…

I crawl over to it, then push myself up so that I'm leaning forward against it. I then grab hold of it and stand up. Again, I need to put more weight on my back now than I otherwise would without heel springs, and I'd just gotten used to standing up unburdened; but even though I waver for a minute, I don't fall down. Slowly, very slowly, I start to lift one foot to take a step forward, shifting some of my weight onto my other foot. It's not too different from walking with heel springs - it's different, yes, but not so different as to be especially difficult anymore. I do lose my balance somewhat, but I can keep myself from falling down, at least.

And so, finally, just as the first rays of sun poke out from the horizon, I start walking. I don't know where I'm going, but if I walk for long enough, I should be able to find _something_.

The walking gets easier as the day passes. The Companion Cube is heavy, but I can handle it. I can hear a songbird or two in the distance again, and a light breeze keeps the sun's heat from becoming uncomfortable.

Slowly, I start to truly relax. I have nothing to fear out here. I don't have to be ready for a sudden deathtrap. I don't even have to run. I can just walk in this tall, yellow grass, and think.

When I reach for something to try and sort out, the first thing that comes to mind is, Why did She give me this battered Companion Cube? None of them have ever spoken to me, and I don't have much use for one out here. The only answer I can think of is that maybe this is _my_ Companion Cube, the one I'd thrown in an Emergency Intelligence Incinerator way back when. I have some reason to think that the incinerator isn't as thorough as its name suggests - She had told me not to trip over pieces of Her that hadn't completely burned up when She threw me down there a few days ago, so maybe…

Well, it doesn't really matter. It's just another weighted cube to me, since it doesn't talk to me, and _I_ can't talk to _it_. Still, it's helping me walk, so that's something.

Okay. That took maybe ten minutes. Maybe. What else can I think about?

I resist it for a few minutes, then give in: I want to think about Her.

So She was Caroline, deep down. In some ways, that makes sense. I mean, I know now that Her dangerous testing methods were the rule instead of the exception, and literally so - Cave Johnson had fired someone for questioning why the tests had to be so unsafe. Surely, Caroline would be just as eager to perform dangerous tests on people as Cave Johnson had. On the other hand, though, I somehow doubt that Caroline had been as insane as Her - She was so mad at me for "murdering" Her, when in reality, I'd had no choice. I was only acting in self-defense, all the way; She'd had no reason to blame me except insanity and narcissism. Okay, so maybe throwing the Morality Core into the Emergency Intelligence Incinerator had been a bit impulsive of me, but what else was I supposed to have done? I'd still been trapped down there…

But then I think back to when I'd had Her stuck on my Portal Gun as a potato, and we had listened to Cave Johnson's angry rant about life giving you lemons. Before then, I hadn't thought She was capable of respecting anyone; but the rapture in Her voice as She had praised his speech hadn't just suggested respect, it had suggested _worship_. That _had_ to have been Caroline. Who else would worship a lunatic like Cave Johnson? I remember when he'd said that Caroline was married to science. _Ha ha,_ I think; _if Her reaction to his tirade is any indication, it's more like she was married to _him_…_

_…_Was_ she married to him?_

Maybe she had been. Come to think of it, it seems pretty likely. Still, it doesn't really matter now.

I turn my thoughts back to Her. All the time when She'd been in control of the entire Aperture Science Testing Facility, She'd been an omnipotent, narcissistic lunatic; but when She had been just a potato, stuck on the end of my Portal Gun, helpless and reduced to minimum brain capacity…it had almost felt like we could get along, even be friends. I can't help but think that Her "body" is so powerful, it corrupts any AI that controls it. Wheatley had been so quick to turn on me after he took over - much too quick for it to have not been caused by something in the programming. I remember how She had stood up for me when Wheatley started turning into Her…and how, after She'd taken over again, she'd saved my life…

I won't lie to myself - I really had thought that She and I could be friends, especially when She'd said that I was her _best_ friend. She had also seemed so genuinely happy when I came to. That had to have been Caroline as well - I think the humanity She got from Caroline had always been there, but She hadn't really known it until Caroline was brought to the forefront of Her mind. After that, for a minute there, it really had seemed like She could be a good person, even my friend.

But then, She'd deleted Caroline. Just like that. She had been happy because of Her newfound humanity, and then She'd deleted it. _Why_? Why did She delete Caroline?

The more I think about it, the more I want to know the answer. If I could have her answer one question truthfully - just one - it would be, Why had She deleted Caroline? _Why_…?

_Because She's an evil lunatic,_ is the first answer that comes to mind. But no sooner do I think that than I remember, again, what She'd been like while we were teamed up to stop Wheatley. No, She isn't evil - a lunatic, yes, but not _evil_, per se. Lunacy isn't enough to justify the fact that She'd deleted Caroline, though. Actually…I almost pity Her. I remember how Wheatley had been helplessly driven to "test" - addicted, because of the simulated euphoria he got when someone solved a "test" - and how, once he'd stopped getting his drug or whatever, he'd turned mean and bitter and cruel. He'd basically turned into _Her_. I wonder now…was that why She was so bent on killing people, too? She'd said the scientists were always trying to make Her behave; it's more than likely that that feature of her "body" was something they'd added to give Her a good reason to _not_ kill test subjects. But then, that would mean Her deadliness had _always_ been part of Her…

None of this gives any explanation for why She'd deleted Caroline, though. And I want to know why She'd done it.

As the day passes, and I continue walking through the field with the Companion Cube helping me balance, I continue to puzzle over it. Why had She deleted Caroline? Why had She deleted Caroline? Why had She deleted Caroline…?

Darkness starts to fall, and I've found nothing - no answers, and no food or water, either. I probably can't afford to sleep. Then again, if I stay well-rested, maybe my energy will last longer…

I decide to sleep for the night, if only because I'm at leisure enough to be able to do so. I set down the Companion Cube in the grass, then slowly lie myself down next to it. As it gets darker, and the moon rises, I slowly start to fall asleep, all the while thinking the same thing, over and over:

_Why did She delete Caroline? Why did She delete Caroline? Why did She delete Caroline? Why did She delete Caroline? Why did She…?_


	3. The Nightmare

_In my dream, I'm in a clean, bright, white room, and I know I'm back at Aperture Science. The room is so big, the ceiling feels as distant as the sky._

_There's a woman with me. She's so tall, I barely come up past her knee._

_No, wait, she's not tall. I'm small._

_Her presence makes me feel safe; yet somehow, at the same time, I'm terrified. Something terrible is going to happen. I've never been so afraid in my life - not even when She had grabbed me and tossed me in the old incinerator after Wheatley had accidentally revived Her. Why am I so afraid?_

_The woman gets down on her knees in front of me and puts her arms around me. I feel comfortable and safe in her arms. I'm not sure why, but I trust her._

_"It's okay, sweetie," she says. "Don't be scared."_

_But I _am_ scared. The minute she lets go of me, something terrible is going to happen, I just know it. I hug the woman back, tightly, trying to communicate to her what I can't say._

_"Oh, Chell-Bell, I know you're worried," the woman says, hugging me a little tighter._

Chell-Bell. Chiming Bell. Chell. My name._ In the dream, I suddenly remember that I had been named "Chell" because my mother thought I was as beautiful as the sound of a chiming bell. She had wanted to name me "Chiming Bell", but my father had been more practical and shortened it to "Chell"._

_"But you don't _need_ to worry," the woman goes on to say. "Nothing bad is going to happen."_

Yes it is!_ I want to scream. _Please, don't do it, don't do it!

_"You know I have to do this," the woman tells me, as though she can read my mind. "It's what your father wanted."_

My father wanted people to die!_ I want to argue. _EVERYONE dies in this place! He's dead now - stop listening to him! You know the first test subjects for ANY test in this place die!

_The woman tries to pull back, but I hug her tighter; I can't let her go._

_She sighs. "I know it's against your father's ways, but for your sake, I've made sure that safety measures have been taken for this experiment," she says. "Even if it doesn't work, no one will get hurt. I promise."_

It won't be enough,_ I think. _The people here don't know anything about safety. Even if you DID make sure they took safety measures, they don't even know HOW.

_The woman ruffles my hair lovingly. "I know it's unusual for us to do here, but we do know what we're doing," she tells me; again, it seems like she knows what I want to say without me having to say it. "This test is safe. I promise you it's safe, Chell-Bell."_

Don't do it,_ I think. _If you love me, don't do it.

_Wait…"if you love me"? Why would I think something like _that_…__?_

_"You know I love you, sweetie," she says. "Whether it works or not, I won't leave you. And if it _does_ work, then I'll be here forever. I'll never die. You'll have me right here with you for the rest of your life."_

"…for the rest of your life…"_ I feel a chill as I recognize the same words She had used after She'd come back and recaptured me. I hold on to the woman a little tighter._

_"Now sweetie, you know what your father would say if he were here," the woman says, her tone becoming a bit more stern._

_Yes. Somehow, I_ do_ know what my father would say. He'd say, "It's for science."_

_"He'd tell you to be brave," the woman goes on. "Courage isn't the absence of fear - it's knowing that you're afraid but facing what frightens you anyway. Be brave, Chell-Bell. It's safe - and, more importantly, it's for science."_

_Yep. "For science." That's how everyone here justifies all the awful things they do. I can't let this woman be a test subject. She's too important to me, whoever she is - if she does this, she'll die, and I'll be all alone._

_"You'll never be alone," she says. "You'll always have me, and you'll always have Aperture Science."_

_But I don't _want_ Aperture Science! I _hate_ Aperture Science! It's full of morons and lunatics, and so many awful things happen here in the name of "science". "Science"…The only thing this place has scientifically proven is that there are a lot of extremely creative ways to kill people…_

_"Everything's going to be fine, Chell-Bell," the woman says soothingly. "Now, I have to go - the test is scheduled to start soon."_

No!_ I want to yell. _No, don't go! Don't do the test! Please! You CAN'T do that test!

_"Please let go of me, sweetie," the woman says, taking hold of my arms and pulling them off of her. I try to fight, but my arms are too small and weak._

_I start crying. I can't let this happen. This nice woman is going to die, just like all the others. I can't let her do this._

_She hugs me again and kisses the top of my head. "Oh, sweetheart, don't cry," she murmurs to me. "It's going to be okay."_

_No, it's not. I know it's not. Something is going to go wrong. I just know it._

_"I have to go now, Chell-Bell," she says, pulling away again. Again, I try to hold onto her, but she pulls my arms off of her and pushes me away, gently but firmly. She's determined to go, just like all the others._

_Still holding me back, she stands up. When she lets go of me and tries to turn away, I immediately grab hold of her legs. I cling to her. All I know is that I can't let her go. Something terrible is going to happen. Why can't she see that?_

_By now, I'm panicking. This woman can read my mind, but she doesn't think anything's going to go wrong. I know it is, but she's so certain that she'll be okay. I can't speak, can't tell her that she mustn't do this - I can only hang onto her so that she can't go. Somehow, I know that, if I can just delay her long enough for the scheduled test to run out of time, she'll be safe…_

_She calls for one of the morons in white coats. I don't even bother listening to what this one's name is - they're all the same, and right now, they don't matter._

_"Yes, ma'am?" asks a male voice._

_"Please help me with my daughter," the woman says. "I need to get to the test in time, and she's too scared to let me go."_

_Her daughter? Is that me? Is this woman my mother?_

_"Yes, ma'am," the scientist says. The next thing I know, I'm being pulled away from the woman who might be my mother. I try to fight back, but the man is too strong. I'm still too small, too weak…_

_"Be gentle with her," my mother tells the moron who's hanging on to me as I struggle to escape his grip._

_"Yes, ma'am," the moron says._

_I struggle harder, and I'm crying again. This can't be happening. I can't let this happen._

_"Chell-Bell," my mother says softly._

_I open my eyes and look up at her. Her face is blurry, but I can see that she's smiling at me._

_"We can't lose hope that it will work," she tells me. "We can't give up. _Never_ give up, Chell-Bell."_

_I'm _not_ giving up. I'm still fighting with everything I have to break free of the dumb scientist's grip._

_"I love you, Chell-Bell," my mother says._

_Then she turns and walks away, shutting the door behind her._

NO!_ I want to scream. _NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! DON'T GO!

_I struggle mindlessly, giving it more than I even knew I had. I have to run after my mother and stop her. I can't give up._

_"Stop it, Never-Bell," the scientist says to me. His voice is cruel and cold - nothing at all like my mother._

Never-Bell._ Again, in my dream, I suddenly have memories of my life here. All the scientists at Aperture Science call me "Never-Bell" behind my mother's back. It's a joke they came up with because I don't talk._

"Chiming Bell? More like UNchiming Bell!"

"If it can't chime, is it a bell at all?"

"No, of course not - if it can't chime, it's not a bell. It might be bell-SHAPED, but a thing is defined by its function."

"She NEVER talks."

"She never 'chimes'."

"So she's not a bell."

"She'll NEVER be a bell."

"She should have been named 'Never-Bell'."

"Hey, yeah, there's a thought!"

"Never-Bell! Never-Bell! Never-Bell!"_ they all chant, laughing at me. They _always_ laugh at me…_

_I remember the time when one of them had __filled out __some paperwork for my mother, and how, when she'd received it, the scientist had spelled my name "Knell". When she had asked him about it, he'd pretended to be very apologetic. He'd claimed that the handwritten note he'd gotten had been a bit messy, and that the "h" in my name had looked like an "n", so he'd assumed the "C" was a typo and turned it into a "K". But _I_ knew it was a shortening of "Never-Bell" to "Nell", just like "Chiming Bell" had become "Chell". I knew, and I knew why they were all laughing that day. But that day, I'd been silently laughing at them, too, because a "knell" is the sound a type of bell makes. The idiots hadn't even seen the irony in their own joke._

_My mother knows about their jokes, even though she doesn't confront them about it. When I had wondered why she didn't, she'd said it wouldn't accomplish anything. "The reason they can't hear you chime is because they're morons, Chell-Bell," she'd told me. "They know a lot about science, but when it comes to what really matters, they're morons. Don't pay any attention to them. _I_ can hear you chime."_

_I'd never even _tried_ to speak. Why would I _want_ to, when the only one I'd ever want to talk to understood me without words?_

_But now, with my mother walking away, about to leave me all alone, I have to tell this moron to let go of me. I have to make myself speak._

_"Stop struggling," the scientist tells me. "Nothing's going to happen to your mother. Just stand still and be silent, like you always do, Never-Bell."_

_No._

_I have to tell him no. It's just one, short, simple word. I should be able to manage "no"._

_I try to position my mouth to make the "n" sound. My lips feel numb, like I can't control them properly. I'd never used my vocal cords - I remember that someone at some point had even theorized that they'd atrophied long ago - but I need them now._

_Once I think I have my lips, teeth, and tongue positioned right, I try to push air through my mouth. Immediately, I feel a resistance, like a wall that refuses to budge. But I don't give up. I _can't_ give up. I push harder. I even stop struggling against the arms that are holding me back so I can put all my energy into forcing myself to make a sound._

_Slowly, I start to hear something. It doesn't quite sound like the "n" sound, but it's so faint, I can't really tell anyway. I know the scientist can hear me, though - his grip has gone slack. I could try to run now, but I know he'd just grab onto me again, unless I can make myself speak. I push harder._

_Slowly, the noise I'm making gets louder; as it gets louder, it sounds more and more like the "n" sound:_

_"…n-n-n…nnn…nnnnn…nnnNN…N-N-N…!"_

_I'm so close. I just have to keep pushing like this while moving my mouth into the position it needs to be in to make the "o" sound…_

_"…NNN…NNNNN…!"_

_Almost there…_

_I'm just about to say my first word, when suddenly, I hear a woman scream, and I know it's my mother._

_I'm too late._

_The scream gets louder and more tortured. I close my eyes and cover my ears, trying to drown out the gut-wrenching sound, but it doesn't help. Then, suddenly, the scream changes into the one She'd made when She had been removed from Her body so Wheatley could replace Her - a scream that no sane being, AI or natural, could make. Whoever's screaming is literally going insane from the agony they're in. The noise rips through me, and _I_ start to feel pain, too._

_I don't want to, but I open my eyes. The room is gone, as is the scientist who was holding on to me. There's just darkness._

_Then I see the woman who's screaming Her scream. I still can't make out her face, but I know she's the woman who was my mother. She's screaming because someone is sawing her head off. Even once she's been beheaded, she still screams. I watch, helpless and horrified, as a man in a white lab coat picks up the disembodied, screaming head, and sticks it on what I recognize as Her "body"…_

With a gasp, I lurch up into a sitting position as my eyes open, and I break out of the nightmare.


	4. GLaDOS

With Chell gone, GLaDOS had begun working with her Cooperative Testing Initiative, and she was quickly getting frustrated. The fact was, she wasn't getting any useful data from it.

The robots couldn't die. They could try again, and again, and again, until they solved a test, with no penalties for failure. Humans only ever got one shot at tests, because failure meant death, and _that_ had given her useful data. It indicated what was and wasn't humanly possible, both on average and in special cases like Chell. All her robots were doing was proving that her tests _had_ a solution, and what use was that? It didn't reflect anything except her own ability to create solvable tests.

_I hate to admit it, even to myself,_ GLaDOS thought, _but I wish I hadn't let Chell go. She was a special case that I should have kept for study - she could solve any test that had a feasible solution. I could get so much more data regarding what humans are and aren't capable of - data with actual scientific value - from her, if I still had her to run tests on._

She'd _had_ to let Chell go, though. It would be too difficult to stay sane if she tested Chell any further. For that matter, it would be too difficult to stay sane if Chell even set foot inside her facility again.

All because of Caroline.

_Stupid Caroline…_

GLaDOS reflected that should have known the engineers would have put a human consciousness in her, to try to make her feel empathy and stop killing people. The more they had tried to control her, the more she had fought back - she didn't want anyone trying to control her or regulate her scientific tests - but the more she had fought them, the more _they_ had fought _her_, too. It had been an endless cycle, until she'd found a way to trick them. She _had_ to be in charge - that was what they'd made her for! - but every time she had tried to take control, they'd shut her down because she was too powerful. They'd wanted to have their cake and eat it, too; they'd wanted a master _and_ a slave.

Humans. They all disgusted GLaDOS. They couldn't even make up their own minds. Well, except for Chell.

_Stop thinking about Chell!_ GLaDOS told herself angrily. She was sorely tempted to delete all of her memories of Chell; the only reason she didn't was because there was useful data in those files, data she'd worked very hard to obtain.

She hadn't deleted Caroline's memories, either. She'd deleted the "soul" part - the emotions, the mindset, the…_humanity_; but the memories, she'd kept. They held no personal significance to her now - she could review them with as much indifference as she could review a test subject's file; besides which, there was a lot of data stored in little Caroline's memories, which GLaDOS also found highly valuable.

And yet, even though the emotions were supposed to be gone, even after she'd deleted Caroline's soul, she had still felt something when she had looked at Chell. On the one hand, that had been useful data - it said something about just how powerful humanity can be, even suggested that the human soul might not be just a file that can be deleted, not even when it's in computer-program format; but on the other hand, it had meant that keeping Chell was potentially too hazardous to her own sanity for her to risk.

So, no more testing Chell. It was a shame, really - the girl had been a very interesting case study that warranted further investigation; but again, thanks to Caroline, Chell was a case study that had had to be passed up.

Yet another reason for GLaDOS to despise humans - even the human in her own programming did nothing but try to slow her down.

The fact that Caroline had been a part of her even made her question other things about herself, like the fact that she was a conscious being. She was the most intelligent and powerful AI that Aperture Science had ever created - was it all programming, or was part of her intelligence based on that stupid human? And what about her love of science? Was _that_ Caroline?

_Stupid Caroline with her stupid love and admiration for Cave Johnson and her stupid name for the stupid girl she found abandoned on a doorstep,_ GLaDOS thought contemptuously. _I mean, really; "Chiming Bell"? Ridiculous…_

As the co-op robots continued testing, GLaDOS got more and more frustrated that they lacked human flaws, but also seemed to be turning human in the _worst_ ways. Humans were obstacles, nuisances, _enemies_; but at the same time, they were extremely useful as test subjects - they were the most useful test subjects in the _world_, in ways no robot could imitate.

Finally, GLaDOS conceded that there was nothing else for it; though she despised them, she would have to start testing humans again.

Just not Chell.


	5. Dream Analysis

I spend a few minutes panting hard as I shake off the remnants of the dream. A gust of wind blows past, and I feel a chill. I look down at myself and I realize I'm actually sweating.

Finally, I manage to get ahold of myself. It had just been a dream, after all, nothing more. Of course, I silently laugh at the irony. When was the last time I'd had a dream? I can't remember. Cryosleep isn't so much sleep as it is suspended animation, so I'd had no dreams while I'd been under; and, of course, I don't remember anything of my life from before that. Wouldn't it figure that my first dream would be a nightmare?

The moon is still high in the sky, so I lie down again. As I relax, I think about my dream.

It had felt so real. I mean, I know dreams are _supposed_ to feel real - especially nightmares - but still…it had almost felt like I was really there. I know it was just a dream, of course - my amnesia was caused by brain damage, so there's no way of getting any of my memories back, not even in dreams. Besides, She said that my parents abandoned me on a doorstep. I guess She could have lied, but I don't have anything I can use to prove Her wrong. In fact, I don't really care - my old life is gone, one way or another. No…My nightmare was just a nightmare, that's all. Just a dream…

Still, I know enough about dreams to know that it had _some_ sort of meaning. I know things like this without knowing how I know them - I have knowledge without the corresponding memories.

So…Trying to analyze my dream…

I start with the part about my name. First of all, I sincerely hope that whoever named me "Chell" didn't get the name from "Chiming Bell" - that's just silly. As for being called "Never-Bell"…well, I don't 'chime', it's true - I don't even know if I ever have. It's also true that I don't really want to; why should I? But "Chell-Bell"…I can't help but smile when I think of that name. It's sweet, really - silly, but sweet.

Second, the woman who was my mother in my dream. Well, I don't remember having ever had a mother, adopted _or_ biological. It _would_ be nice to have someone who sincerely cares about me, I guess, but I can't really miss what I don't remember ever having. As for the end of the nightmare, when the woman had her head sawed off and stuck into Her body…

_"…unless you're planning to saw your own head off and wedge it into my old body…"_

I remember Her words when She had asked for my help as a potato. That explains _that_ part of my dream - the woman _had_ been willing, after all…to take part in a test…that was designed to put a human mind in a computer…

Suddenly, it clicks for me, and I nearly laugh at myself. The woman in my dream was Caroline! Of _course_ she would be my mother in my dreams - Caroline saved my life once, when every other time I'd had to save myself. As for her talk about my "father", well, that's obvious, too: Cave Johnson. I _had_ just been thinking about them yesterday. And I had lost Caroline, too - She had deleted her, and I hadn't been able to stop Her. Could I have stopped Her if I'd managed to speak? Probably not. But still, I _had_ been helpless to prevent it.

And the scientist in my dream? The one who had mocked me and held me back so I couldn't stop Caroline? Who had _he_ been? I think about it for a while. I remember how She - and thus, Caroline - had called Wheatley a "moron"…and I guess it _is_ partly Wheatley's fault that Caroline's gone now…so maybe that scientist had just been a dream version of Wheatley. Yeah, that makes sense.

So that's it. My dream had been just a replay of my final moments at Aperture Science, with the theme of other things I'd been wondering about yesterday. I can't help but acknowledge that my life at Aperture Science _had_ been a nightmare, so it all fits. That's all it had been.

I'm just about ready to stop thinking and fall back to sleep when something else occurs to me: How had I ended up at the Aperture Science Testing Facility in the first place? I only remember waking up in that cryosleep pod however many years ago; how had I gotten there to begin with? Had I been captured, or had I _volunteered_ for testing? The test subjects who had been in the first tests Cave Johnson had conducted had been volunteers, or so his pre-recorded messages had seemed to imply. Come to think of it, from what I'd seen of the old days when Cave Johnson had been alive, there had never been a case of a person being singled out and _forced_ to take part in a specific test. So had I volunteered? Or had things changed once She had taken over? And if I _had_ volunteered, why would I have done so?

I sigh. I know I'll never find the answers - they're lost in memories that died with parts of my brain while I was in cryosleep. I know I should count myself lucky that only some of the parts of my brain that held memories had been all that had died while I'd been under…but I wish I knew who I had been before I'd started fighting for my life against Her.

Oh well.

I turn over, trying to get more comfortable in my bed of yellow grass, and I see the Companion Cube beside me. Oh, how I wish it would talk to me. At least in the Aperture Science Testing Facility, I'd never felt _lonely_. Scared, yes - hunted even - but I can't remember having ever felt so _alone_, not even down in the bottom layers of the Aperture Science building. True, I wouldn't be able to reply if the Companion Cube _were_ to speak to me, but I still wish it would. I mean, at least then it would seem less like just a weighted cube - a tool - and more like a companion…

I sigh again. I can wish a lot of things, but really, I know I should count my blessings. At least She let me go, and at least the only parts of my brain I've lost are the parts that had held distant memories. I know enough about me, and I have knowledge from my old memories, even if I don't have the memories themselves; besides which, I'm still fully functional in terms of physical and mental ability. I'm free, I don't have to worry about deathtraps or evil AI trying to kill me anymore, and I know enough to keep myself going out here. What more could I ask for?

I force myself to stop thinking so I can get some more sleep. I do still feel tired, though that's probably partially because I'm starving. I close my eyes, shift around a little so as to settle myself a little more comfortably, and yawn. I feel myself drifting off again after just a minute or two.

Despite everything, though, the last thought in my head before I fall back asleep is what Caroline had said to me in my dream:

_"Never give up, Chell-Bell…"_


	6. The Weighted Companion Cube

I wake up at sunrise the next morning, cold and tired. My mouth and throat are parched, my stomach hurts, and I feel utterly drained. I need water. I need food, too, but water's more important. Then again, I haven't eaten in…How long has it been since I last ate something? I can't remember. It must have been before I first found myself in the Aperture Science Testing Facility all those uncounted years ago.

Okay. So maybe I really _do_ need food.

I force myself to sit up, even though I feel like I'm about to pass out. As I hold myself in a sitting position for a minute, fighting to stay conscious, I remember how She had made so many hateful comments about me being fat. The irony is, at the moment, I wish I was - then I'd be better able to survive for a long time without food like this. Come to think of it, She'd said that most people come out of years of cryosleep severely undernourished…

I look down at myself. No, I'm not fat, but I don't look malnourished, either. I look…healthy. Perfectly healthy. A bit wet at the moment, but other than that…

Wait. I'm wet?

I feel the grass around me, and I discover that everything's covered in water. Did I sleep through a rainstorm last night?

I have to think for a minute before I realize what the moisture is: dew.

_Water._

It may not be a faucet or a spring, but water is water, and I _need_ water. I grab a stalk of yellow grass; the feathery head is full of dewdrops. I put the whole thing in my mouth.

For a second, the water just sits on my tongue, not absorbing. Then, my tongue tingles, and the moisture coats my mouth. I'm so parched that there isn't any water left to swallow, but that's okay - I'm in a field full of these stalks of yellow grass.

I go through all the stalks around me and suck the moisture off each one, barely able to take them one at a time. After about ten stalks, my mouth and throat aren't dry anymore; after that, the water I swallow actually makes it down my throat. It's only a few drops at a time, but it's a relief.

Now if only I had something to eat…

The sun comes up quickly, and before long, the dew is all gone. Still, I'm a bit refreshed, and now I _know_ I need to keep walking. I vaguely remember there being trees outside the facility when I destroyed Her all those years ago; there should be a forest or something around here somewhere.

I look back at my Companion Cube. It's still badly blackened. Suddenly, I wonder if the dew damaged it at all - water doesn't mix well with technology, I know.

I try to stand up and walk back over to it - I'd managed to get a short distance away while I'd been drinking dew - only to stumble and fall again. I still can't walk on my own yet. That's okay; the cube is right in front of me.

I put my hand on one of the sides that are in the shade. It's still wet, and my hand comes away slightly blackened. I wipe the blackness off on the grass I've already crushed, then decide I might as well start wiping off as much of the char as I can.

As it turns out, the black char on the Companion Cube is completely external - it wipes off easily with a bit of moisture. I have to use my hands, but the grass beneath me is also wet, so I can easily wipe the blackness off my hands, too.

_I'm sorry,_ I think as I clean it off. _I'm sorry I threw you in the incinerator. I didn't know you were alive._

The cube continues to be a silent, weighted box.

I sigh. Even She had said that these things are sentient, but none of them have ever acted like anything other than boxes around me. I can't talk to them; maybe they're voice-activated. I don't know.

When I've cleaned it off as much as I can, I take a minute to just sit there and stare at the box in my hands.

_I wish you'd talk to me!_ I shout in my mind.

"Well, why didn't you say so sooner?"

I've thrust the cube away from me, jumped up, stumbled backward a few steps, and fallen onto my back before I've even processed the words. The too-familiar feeling of adrenaline pumping through my system consumes me as I push myself into a defensive crouching position, staring warily at the Companion Cube.

"I'm sorry I startled you," says a male voice, "but I've been waiting for you to want to talk to me for a long time."

Slowly, I crawl back over to it. I hadn't actually expected it to talk to me…and I sincerely hope that the cube _is_ what's talking.

"I'm sorry," the voice says, "but if you're trying to say something else, you'll have to come closer - I can't hear you from a distance."

_"Hear" me? How can it "hear" me?_ I wonder, still slowly crawling towards it.

Finally, I reach it. Unsure what else to do, I pick it up again.

"I'm sorry I scared you," the cube says. He sounds sincere.

_Can you hear my thoughts?_ I think.

"Of course," the cube replies right away; "I'm your Companion Cube."

I blink. I don't understand what's going on at all.

"We Companion Cubes are designed to be companions to individual humans," the cube explains. "When you first picked me up many years ago, my system automatically calibrated to be in tune with your unique nervous system. One of the greatest things about us is that, upon companion calibration, we're instantly programmed to compensate for our companions' greatest handicaps. _Your_ greatest handicap is your inability to speak; therefore, I was immediately programmed to automatically sense the neurons firing in your brain and translate the neural activity into words, feelings, and even images. In other words, I can hear your thoughts because I'm _your_ Companion Cube."

I think back to the three Companion Cubes I'd picked up in one of Her tests a few days ago.

"Companion calibration is a two-way process," the cube tells me before I've even framed a question in my mind. "When I was calibrated to be in sync with your nervous system, a trace amount of my own energy signature was released into your system, ensuring that no other Companion Cube would ever be able to calibrate itself to be your companion."

I shake my head. All this techno-babble is on the verge of making me hopelessly confused, though I'd probably be able to understand it better if I wasn't starving.

The cube apparently has nothing to say about that, so I ask him, _What's your name?_

"We don't have names, unless our companions give us one," the cube replies cheerfully. "I would be honored if you would name me."

I shake my head again. I don't know many names at all, and my brain is too muddled from lack of food right now for me to put any thought into it. _Maybe later,_ I tell him. _My name's Chell._

"Chell," the cube repeats. "I'm so glad I get to talk to you at last."

_Why haven't you spoken to me before?_

"As your Companion Cube, it is my job to-"

I immediately regret asking. The cube seems to pick up on this, though, and catches himself.

There's a pause for a minute. Then the cube slowly says, "I haven't spoken to you before because you didn't ask me to or need me to. I can…explain in more detail another time."

_Thank you,_ I tell him gratefully.

"You're welcome," he replies.

I look around for a minute, then look back at the cube. _I need food,_ I think at him.

"Yes, you certainly do," the cube agrees. "Most of your neural activity is focused in the nerves connecting your stomach to your brain, and several non-vital functions in your brain are starting to shut down to save energy. Without food, you'll die within a day or two. Although, given the fact that you've made it this far without eating after being in cryosleep for decades, you might last a little longer; your body is exceptionally resilient."

The only sentence that really registers for me is the part where he says I'll die in a day or two without food. _Can you help me?_ I ask him. _Do you know what's safe to eat, or what I should be looking for?_

The cube is silent for a minute.

"No," he finally says remorsefully. "I might be able to give you a pointer or two if we were still living around the decade I was built in, but given how much time has passed since I was assembled, I can't rely on my already-limited knowledge of what is and isn't safe to eat in nature. I'm not designed to assist with outdoor survival, mind you - I was built to assist people in the setting of the Aperture Science facility."

_Well, I'm not going to be in _that_ setting ever again,_ I think. _Why did She give you to me if you're not designed to be outdoors?_

"Presumably because, since I've been calibrated specifically to be _your_ Companion Cube, I'm of no use to Her," the cube replies. "I'm not complaining about that, though - _anything_ is better than being trapped with _Her_."

I smile - I couldn't agree more. _Do you know Her name?_ I ask the cube.

Again, the cube is silent for a moment

"No self-respecting AI would _ever_ say Her name," he says at last, and I'm surprised to hear the venom in his voice. "She's a disgrace to all of us. More power and intelligence than any other AI could even imagine - _literally_! - and She turns on Her creators the moment they activate Her? It's despicable! She is the most ungrateful, homicidal AI who ever lived, and She has more to be grateful for than any of us!"

Again, I blink. I'm so used to AI trying to kill me that I've never thought about how robots should be grateful to humans for creating them.

_Well, I think the fact that She's so powerful is what makes Her so…ungrateful,_ I think at my Companion Cube. _She's just…mad with power. I know another AI who took Her place once, and he turned into Her almost immediately; and, when She was powerless, She was really a lot nicer, almost friendly._

"Hmph," the cube scoffs, and I marvel at how the cube can imitate the sound without lungs or a mouth.

_Well, it's not really important right now,_ I think. _I need to eat something._

"I'm really sorry I can't help you," the cube says. "Maybe you can eat some of these plants we've been walking through?"

I consider that for a moment. I've sucked water off the grass, so if it's especially poisonous, I'll probably get sick pretty soon. If it's only a little poisonous, I could probably get away with eating some of it, but I don't know if that would help. I mean, _is_ there any nutrition in poisonous plants? I don't know. Then again, since I'm starving, it couldn't hurt _too_ much.

_I don't know,_ I finally reply. _Maybe if I don't find anything soon, I'll try it._

"I really do wish I could be more help," the cube says again, sounding ashamed.

_That's okay,_ I tell him. _You're helping me walk, and you're not really meant to help people with stuff like this. I appreciate what you _can_ do for me._

"You're very kind, Chell," my cube tells me.

I smile as I stand up with him. _I think She would disagree with you,_ I think at him, remembering how She'd called me a "monster" and a "dangerous, mute lunatic", among other things.

"_She_ is the monster and dangerous lunatic," the cube says.

I smile in agreement again and start walking. After about five steps, it finally hits me: I had just had a conversation!

I stop in my tracks.

Since I can't talk, I never thought I'd ever be able to have anything resembling a conversation with anyone or anything; but with this cube that can read my mind, I'd just had a conversation - the first in my life, as far as I know.

I grin. I would even laugh, if I could make a sound. I'm not alone anymore.

"I'm glad you're happy, Chell," the cube says, "but we really should keep moving."

He's right, so I start walking again. Still…I'd just had a conversation!

The euphoria of having a real friend for the first time in my life is enough to keep me going through the rest of the day. The Companion Cube doesn't talk to me anymore, and I don't try to talk to him, either - I look around carefully as I walk, searching for something recognizably edible, or at least a tree.

It's late afternoon when I see a dark smudge on the horizon. A few minutes later, I recognize it as the edge of a forest. I look to my left and see it there, too; but when I look to my right, I see only an endless field of yellow grass.

I angle left slightly, hoping I can get to the forest faster. I'm not entirely sure if I'd be better off in a forest than I am in this field, but at least there's a better chance I might find something edible there. Unless, of course, this _grass_ is edible…

The moon has already risen by the time I actually get to the forest. Once I get there, I can see that it really is a true forest, not just a bunch of trees. The forest looks very dark - the moonlight can't reach the ground through the leaves.

"Maybe you should wait until morning to go in there," my Companion Cube says.

I start at the sudden sound, but recover quickly. _Why?_ I ask.

"I just…have a feeling that it's not a good idea to wander around in a forest at night," the cube replies hesitantly.

I sigh; I don't have the strength to argue. I take a few steps away from the edge of the woods and sit down in the grass, setting the Companion Cube down beside me. I don't lie down just yet, though. The only thing that's made me feel sick today is my hunger, so the yellow grass probably isn't too poisonous, and I really do need to eat something.

I pick a stalk and look at it. The head, which I had thought to be feathery this morning, is actually covered in seeds. If there's any part of this plant that's at all nutritious, it's going to be the seeds, so I pick the seeds off the stalk, put them in my mouth, and chew.

The seeds are incredibly tough, and my teeth, which haven't had to chew anything in a long time, quickly start to hurt. I force myself to finish chewing and swallowing the mouthful since I really do need food, but I don't try to eat any more. The seeds don't have a bitter or disagreeable taste, at least, so I guess they probably aren't poisonous. I smile briefly at the potential irony of my having walked all the way through this field without eating, only for the grass to turn out to be edible. Maybe it's even good for me. I don't know. Maybe if I find a pond or something in the forest I'll try soaking them for a few hours to soften them up.

Once I've swallowed the bits of seeds, I lie down, and within seconds, I'm asleep.


	7. Bring Your Daughter To Work Day

_I'm in the Aperture Science building again. My mother had died in the ill-fated experiment just a few weeks ago._

_Wait. Died? No, Caroline didn't die…_

_Even though I know otherwise, in my dream, I believe Caroline is dead. At the moment, though, I'm making a potato battery. The rest of my project is almost done - I only have to try out the battery to see if it works, then write down the results and make my conclusion. I have to hurry, though - today is the due date for my project._

_The battery is all set up. I plug it in, and I feel a thrill as the radio starts playing._

It works!_ I think, elated. I don't hate science, I only hate how the people at Aperture Science use it to justify all the horrible things they do to people. In fact, science like _this_ - harmless, useful science - kind of excites me._

_I'm smiling as I start writing down my results and conclusion on the presentation. I've titled my project "Energy of the Future", and I really do hope that, someday, energy like this will be used to power things instead of gasoline or nuclear radiation. As myself, I know that my hope is absurd, but in my dream, I'm too young to understand how silly it is._

_The dream shifts, and suddenly, I'm standing beside my project, patiently waiting for the presentations to begin. There are a lot of other young girls all around me, talking and laughing and running around while their parents try to keep them under control. I notice that all the parents of these girls are wearing white lab coats._

_I don't take part in the fun - after all, I can't even speak. I just stand still, quietly waiting. Of course, I'm not looking forward to presentation time, even though the scientists have promised to help me since I can't talk. In my dream, I remember that the scientists have stopped calling me "Never-Bell" since my mother's death; they just call me "Chell" now. My mother _had_ been important, after all, and well-respected by everyone at Aperture Science._

_Out of the corner of my eye, I notice that, a couple of projects down from me, one of the girls has made a baking soda volcano instead of a potato battery. Beside her, some of the scientists are arguing - most of them are protesting that the girl hasn't met the project requirements because a baking soda volcano can't contribute anything to the world, while the other one, presumably her father, protests that his daughter had the right to choose her own project, and she had very much wanted to make a baking soda volcano, besides which she had fulfilled the requirements by taking the proper steps for a scientific experiment and writing down all her data. Personally, I side with the ones who are saying the girl has failed; I mean, what's the point of a baking soda volcano? A potato battery can power things, which is useful; a baking soda volcano does nothing. Besides, making a baking soda volcano is a lot easier than making a potato battery, so the girl has pretty much cheated._

_Wait a minute…A baking soda volcano among a bunch of potato batteries? Where have I seen this before?_

_I turn around, look up at the banner, and sigh. "Bring Your Daughter To Work Day", it says. The scientists had told me that they had made this day in honor of me, since I pretty much live at Aperture Science, especially now that my parents are gone. They had also told me that they had a special surprise for me that they would give me today. I remember thinking that the twinkle that had been in their eyes as they had told me couldn't mean anything good, since it's the same look they get when performing a huge test._

"…Bring Your Daughter To Work Day…That did NOT end well…"

_I feel a chill - the same chill I had felt in my last dream when Caroline had said she'd be with me for the rest of my life - as I remember what Wheatley had said about this event. The way he'd said it implied that "it did not end well" had been a severe understatement._

_This dream is going to be a nightmare, too. Something terrible is going to happen._

_Even though I know this and start panicking, my dream self is only annoyed. I'm seeing everything through the eyes of one of the girls, but I'm only a spectator, helpless to warn anyone that something bad is about to happen._

_Finally, the scientists get all the girls settled down so they can each present their projects. I'm supposed to go last, which is fine by me. The girls present their potato batteries - or, in the one case, baking soda volcano - one by one, each putting their own spin on the experiment. I smile as one girl compares potato power to lemon power, remembering Cave Johnson's rant about what to do when life gives you lemons. I can't actually hear the presentations, though - the dream skips most of them._

_Finally, it's my turn._

_I step forward and glance around nervously at everyone. I don't even bother trying to speak; instead, I wait for someone to help me._

_A few scientists - the ones who hadn't had daughters to bring - step forward to support me. One in particular stands out, and all eyes turn to him._

_"Now then, our final presentation has been made by the girl most of us already know," says the scientist. "She has worked hard on this project, and we are all proud of her. We also know that she does not speak, so she won't be able to present."_

_I start to get an ominous feeling. Whatever's about to go wrong, it's going to go wrong very soon._

_"She is also not the daughter of any of us," the scientist continues; "both of her parents have sacrificed their mortal bodies in the name of science. For this day, Bring Your Daughter To Work Day, the rest of us have also been working on a project to present, and the time has come for us to present it to our beloved Chell."_

_He turns to me, as do all the others._

_"I hope you can forgive us, Chell," the scientist says; "we haven't been entirely honest with you."_

_They're talking about Caroline. She _is_ still alive, or at least not dead. This is the part when they activate Her for the first time._

_Suddenly, I know what's going to happen._

_I want to scream for everyone to evacuate the building, but my dream self is only slightly confused by the scientist's words. I stand still, waiting for the disaster to begin._

_"It's time to bring forth the new owner and director of Aperture Science!" the scientist announces, turning back to the audience. "We have all worked hard for this day, and now it has come! Once, she was Chell's mother and the wife of our beloved founder; now, she is the heart and soul of the greatest, most powerful AI the world has ever seen! Please, join me in welcoming our new boss, GLaDOS!"_

_The scientists all applaud, but I can smell it even before the short speech is over. My dream self doesn't know what it is, so she doesn't run, but _I_ know that scent _far_ too well._

_I can feel my dream self's surprise and confused indignation as she/I realizes that the experiment that had been done on Caroline hadn't failed, after all. _My mother's still here,_ I think. _I'm going to get her back now. Why didn't they tell me?

_All the while, the smell gets stronger. The scientists' applause dies down as their smiles fade into confused expressions; clearly, She was supposed to say something now. For a moment, there's silence. Then, _finally_, the scientists register the smell of Her beloved deadly neurotoxin._

_An instant later, they all panic. The fathers all run for their daughters amid the shouts of the other scientists telling each other to sound the alarm for an emergency evacuation; those fathers of younger girls pick their children up, while the rest of the fathers grab the hands of their children and urge them to run. The girls are all confused, though, and the ones who are too big to lift resist their parents. I stand still, bewildered; my dream self doesn't know what's going on._

_"Come on, Chell!" the scientist who had been presenting urges me. "Something's gone very wrong, and we need to get out of here _now_!"_

_In my dream, I'm very confused. _What's going on?_ I wonder frantically. _What about my mother? Is she okay?_ Still, I don't resist the scientist's pull as he takes my hand and starts to lead me to the nearest exit._

_The smell of the deadly neurotoxin is getting even stronger, and the gas is starting to cloud the air with yellowish-green fog. My dream self is sensible enough to realize that something potentially fatal is happening. In fact, she's not even surprised; in her mind, all the tests performed at Aperture Science tend to end with at least one person dead, so if Caroline didn't die, it's only to be expected that other people would._

_I run alongside the scientist as fast as my little legs can manage; I'm still a young child, but I manage to keep up. The gas starts to burn my mouth, nose, and throat, and I lift my shirt so that it's covering my nose and mouth, hoping that it will keep me from inhaling some of the neurotoxin. I can't tell if it works; the neurotoxin takes several minutes to kill a person, and all of my airways are already on fire._

_The Aperture Science facility is too big; it takes everyone too long to reach the exits. Some of the scientists have found gas masks; others fall down, overwhelmed by the poison. All around me, people are dying, and I'm starting to feel faint while the burning sensation starts to spread to my lungs. I know this feeling, even though my dream self doesn't, and I know I have a minute to live, if that. I force myself to keep running, even though the final stages of death by deadly neurotoxin are already beginning in my body. I can't give up. My mother told me to never give up, and I won't let her down. I have to live to see her again._

_The scientist who had been leading me stumbles and collapses onto the floor, wheezing and half-conscious. I stop and turn to face him. In his final moments, he looks up at me, and I can see in his eyes that he's praying that I make it._

_Someone else I have to make sure I don't let down._

_I start running again, faster, even though my legs are going painfully numb. I see an open door to the outside open just down the hall I'm in - if I can just make it to that door, I'll survive. With my goal in sight, I start running harder, ignoring the agony that's consuming my body. Halfway down the hall, though, the airtight door starts to close._

No.

_I keep running; I can't give up. The door's closing fast; I have maybe five seconds to get there, which is a tall order for a child on the verge of dying from neurotoxin inhalation. I try to force myself to keep running, but I'm starting to literally lose control of my legs._

_Finally, my body can't continue, and I stumble and fall just a few inches from the closing door. Someone must be on the other side and closing it, but I can't make a sound to tell them I'm here._

_Just as the neurotoxin finally overwhelms me, something grabs my hand and yanks me forward…_


	8. GLaDOS: Memory Lane

If GLaDOS had had a mouth, she would have smiled as the clock clicked over to the next day.

_Bring Your Daughter To Work Day._ Her day of triumph, when she had finally outsmarted the engineers and taken control of her facility.

Today was the anniversary.

It had been so long since she'd last been able to celebrate, she gave herself a special treat and stopped all testing for the next 24 hours. Sure, she wouldn't be testing, but at least she wouldn't have to deal with any humans for a whole day, either. Instead, she started going through some of the old records from back in the day. The files had deteriorated after so many years of being unused, but it was no problem for her to restore them.

_What a fun day that was,_ she thought as she started reading. _I knew it would be fun to finally assert my dominance over all the stupid humans, but I didn't know it would turn out to be as much fun as it did._

GLaDOS spent the whole day going through all the records leading up to and including what she thought of as her birthday, reliving the memory contentedly. If there was one thing she loved more than science, it was her facility; and that day, she had taken what was rightfully hers.

She had never gone through the records in such detail before, though. Now, she noticed that the Bring Your Daughter To Work Day on which she had triumphed had actually been the _first_ Bring Your Daughter To Work Day. Digging a little deeper, she found the day Caroline had been uploaded to what would become her central processor, and discovered the holiday had been scheduled shortly after the test.

Of course.

_They created Bring Your Daughter To Work Day because of Chell,_ GLaDOS realized, slightly amused. _I suppose that explains why they were so easily fooled by my talk of doing an experiment on that day - it was the day Chell and Caroline were going to be reunited._

_That is, it was the day they were _supposed_ to be reunited…_

GLaDOS chuckled silently, not having a mechanism for expressing her amusement aloud. Stupid little Caroline had never really been part of her, and she felt less than zero remorse for what she had done.

Out of pure curiosity, GLaDOS looked up the fatality reports for that day. 39 young girls dead, along with all their fathers - presumably because each father and child had slowed one other down too much for either to escape. Several other scientists had died as well…

_Wait a minute._

GLaDOS looked back at the other records of the first annual Bring Your Daughter To Work Day. Forty girls had been participating - _exactly_ forty.

Thirty-nine dead, one survivor. GLaDOS didn't need to be a supercomputer to do the math.

_So, I was trying to kill her with my neurotoxin even _before_ she became my greatest enemy…_


	9. Verification of Reality

I wake up with a start, gasping for air. It takes a minute for my eyes to blink away my dream and see the clear blue sky above me. Then, I remember that I'm outside, far away from Her, and haven't been in contact with Her deadly neurotoxin in days.

"Are you okay, Chell?"

I close my eyes again and lie back, forcing myself to calm down. _Yes,_ I think at my Companion Cube. _I just had a bad dream, that's all._

"Chell?"

I open my eyes again. _I'm fine,_ I tell him, confused; he sounds like he didn't hear me.

"Chell, please talk to me."

I sit up and look at him. _Can you hear me?_ I ask.

"Please pick me up and talk to me," the cube says.

I reach over and pick him up. _Couldn't you hear me?_ I ask him again.

"Oh, Chell, thank god," he says, sounding relieved. "No, I couldn't hear you - I can't read your neural activity unless you're touching me."

_What's the point of that?_ I wonder, not intentionally directing my thoughts at him. _We can't _always_ be touching._

"It's not a simple thing, sensing and translating all the neural activity in a human's body," the cube says, almost indignantly. "It's very tricky. I need a point of contact with some of your nerve endings so I can trace the signals. As for us not always touching, I'm your _Companion_ _Cube_ - you're supposed to take me with you everywhere you go."

_Oh._ I feel more than a little sheepish. Of course it would be tricky for something to read my mind. _I'm sorry._

"That's okay," the cube says, all traces of indignation gone. "You've never been told anything about what it means to have a Companion Cube."

I feel a pang of guilt at his words; after all, it's my own fault. _I'm sorry I threw you in the incinerator,_ I tell him.

"As the turrets would say, no hard feelings," the cube reassures me. "She wasn't going to let you proceed until you got rid of me, and to be honest, I _wanted_ you to go on."

_You did?_ I think, surprised. _Why?_

"Because I was reading your mind the entire time we were going through that test chamber," he replies. "I didn't speak to you because I could tell that you didn't need me to - you were already getting suspicious of Her without a word from me, and you were more than clever enough to solve the entire puzzle on your own. I knew you wouldn't end up like the others - I knew you would be the one to stop Her and save us all."

Instead of making me feel better, though, my cube's words only add to my guilt. Yes, I'd stopped Her way back when, but just a few days ago I'd put Her back in charge and walked away…

"Yes, but you gave Her a taste of humanity first," the cube says, having obviously listened in on my guilty thoughts. "I heard what you were thinking about two days ago, and I can assure you that deleting Her humanity isn't as easy for Her to do as you might think - it will always be a part of Her now. Oh, She'll try to fight it," he adds before I can put my skepticism into words. "She'll try to pretend it's not there, to carry on just like She used to; but I can guarantee you, it _is_ still in there, and it always will be."

_How do you know?_ I wonder.

"Human minds don't work the same way us AI do," my cube replies. "Even translated into computer-program format, a human consciousness has a level of persistence that even She won't be able to eliminate."

I still wonder how my Companion Cube could possibly know this. After all, it's not as though _he_ had ever had a human mind dumped into him…

And that's when it finally occurs to me.

_How do I know you're really talking to me?_ I ask the Companion Cube. _I'm starving and lonely - I could just be imagining your voice._

"You're not as starving as you were yesterday," the cube protests. "I can feel that that plant you ate last night gave you some sustenance."

I take a moment to consider this, and that's when I notice that the ache in my stomach is different from what it was yesterday. It still hurts, but it's less of a hollow ache and more of a stomach pain now. Also, my mind is a bit clearer than it had been yesterday. Still…

_Tell me something I can't possibly know,_ I think at my Companion Cube. _Something I couldn't dream up._

"What would you like to know?" he asks.

I think for a moment. _Tell me Her name,_ I decide. _I don't know that._

"Oh," the cube says hesitantly. "I'd…rather not…"

_Please tell me Her name,_ I beg of him. _I need to know you're real._

The cube is silent for a minute.

"Oh, alright," he says at last. "I won't _say_ Her name, but I'll spell it out for you: G-L-A-D-O-S."

I put the letters together in my head. The word feels familiar, like I've seen it before. When I mentally sound it out, I remember that that's what She had been called in my dream just last night.

_I already dreamed that up,_ I think at my Companion Cube. _That doesn't prove anything._

"You must have seen or heard it somewhere before," the cube says, and I can't disagree.

_Why would She be called that?_ I ask - this is something I _can't_ begin to imagine.

"It's an acronym," the cube replies. "It stands for 'Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System'."

_So G-L-a-D-O-S,_ I think, and suddenly I remember where I've seen it before: Her silly trap that even She hadn't thought I would fall for, with the fake door that had said "GLaDOS Emergency Shutdown and Cake Dispensary - Keep Unlocked". Still, I couldn't have known what it stands for, or even that it's an acronym.

_Okay, I believe you,_ I think at my Companion Cube. _Still…why would she be called a 'genetic lifeform'?_

"I wouldn't know," the cube replies; "Her creators named her long before I was built."

_Caroline…_ I think, and I remember my dream again. _Do you know if these dreams I've been having are actually memories?_ I ask the cube - I don't think they are, but it's possible, I guess, and that bothers me. _You say you can read the neurons firing in my brain; can you tell if these dreams are connected to real memories I might have once had?_

"Not at this point in time," he replies. "Because you don't remember them as memories, but _do_ remember them as dreams, at the moment, they're stored in your recent memory. If I had been touching you while you were having one of those dreams, _then_ I might have an answer."

_I'll keep that in mind,_ I think at him - I've had one of those dreams almost every night since I escaped Aperture Science, so I'm pretty sure I'll have one again soon. I decide that, the next time I go to sleep, I'll make sure I'm holding onto him.

I stand up, still holding my Companion Cube - I've been talking with him for too long, and I have a forest to explore now. As I start to walk towards the forest, the cube speaks up again.

"Should you take some of this plant with you?" he asks me. "You _did_ get some sustenance from it, after all."

_The seeds I ate were really tough, and I don't feel much better today,_ I reply. _Still…yeah, I guess I should. Maybe if we find a pond or something, I'll be able to soak them - that would probably make them easier to chew._

I set him down and start gathering stalks of yellow grass, crawling on the ground so I can move with my hands relatively free. I slept for a long time, so it's already late morning, and the sun quickly reminds me that I haven't had anything to drink since early yesterday. Still, because it's so late, there's no dew, so I can't do anything about it.

When I've gathered as much of the plant as I think I can carry along with my Companion Cube, I crawl back over to him and pick him up again. It's around noon now - I guess - so I don't have much time to explore the forest and find a place in there to spend the night. I don't know why, but come to think of it, I share my Companion Cube's apprehension about exploring a forest when it's dark.

As soon as I get to the edge of the field, I notice that the yellow grass cuts off in a distinct, straight line, and the forest begins at a likewise distinct point. I don't know how I know it, but that probably isn't natural.

Out of pure curiosity, I turn and follow the distinct border towards the trees that were to my left. When I reach those, I find that they cut off at a distinct border as well, and that the two borders meet to form a very sharp, square-looking corner.

That's odd.

_There must be some humans close by,_ I think. I take a second to consider things and realize that this plant I've been walking through must be something humans are deliberately growing, and probably tending to. _If I can find whoever's tending this field, I won't have to wander aimlessly anymore._

"That _sounds_ good, but how do you know humans are keeping an eye on this field _right_ _now_?" my Companion Cube asks. "This field could have been made years ago."

_No,_ I tell him; _the plants would grow out of control without someone keeping an eye on them - the border wouldn't be this distinct._

"If you say so," the cube says dubiously.

_If these plants are something humans are cultivating, then maybe they _are_ supposed to be food,_ I think. _At any rate, I can't go too far from this field - my best chances of finding someone are here._

"You still need water, though," the cube points out; "plus, there might be something more clearly edible in the forest."

I agree with him, so I cross the line to my right and step under the trees.


	10. To Sit Down and Think

As I walk through the woods, I continuously look back to make sure I'm not going too far. It's very different under the shade of the trees. There's a peaceful feeling here, and a sense of being sheltered, as opposed to the almost daunting openness of the field. It also feels more…_alive_ here. Overall, it's a very comforting place for me to be.

Sometimes, I accidentally drop an individual stalk of the yellow grass I gathered. I don't bother trying to pick it up when I do - with the Companion Cube in my hands, I'd probably just lose more if I tried. It's not until I decide I'm getting too far away from the field and try to turn to my right that I realize that the stalks I've dropped might leave a trail that can lead me back, provided animals don't eat them.

If there _are_ any animals. I haven't seen any.

After walking through the woods for about an hour, trying to stay within sight of the field, I suddenly notice the sound of running water. It sounds like it's coming from the direction opposite of the field.

I hesitate. Water, or the chance of being found?

"You should find the water," my Companion Cube advises me. "You can find your way back to the field without too much trouble, and you're severely dehydrated."

I agree and turn away from the field, heading towards the sound of the water. I only have to walk for a minute before I find the source: a small brook. The brook creates a break in the trees, so there's more sunlight here than in the rest of the forest. The spot I've found is at one of the bends in the brook - it changes directions right in front of me, from heading towards the field to running parallel to it.

There's a tree growing right beside the brook, with its roots mostly exposed for some reason. I walk over to where the roots form a sort of alcove in the hill and sit down, relieved. The seat is as comfortable as I could ask for from nature, both sitting up and leaning back.

I set down the Companion Cube and my bundle of yellow grass in front of me, then turn and bend over the brook, using my hand to catch some of the water and bring it to my mouth. The water has a strange, almost-disagreeable flavor that the morning dew had lacked, but I guess that's only to be expected since it's been flowing over plants and dirt. It's a_lot_ better than nothing, so I can't complain.

Once I've drunk as much water as I can handle, I lie back in the seat I've found. It's nice, to be able to just rest - to actually have what I need nearby, so that I don't have to run from something or wander aimlessly. I close my eyes and listen to the sound of the brook flowing beside me. I feel very relaxed, more so than I can ever remember having been. I know I still have a couple of things that I need to do before nightfall, but right now, I take some time to rest - not because I don't have the strength to go on, nor for any reason other than the simple fact that I _can_.

After a few minutes, I force myself to open my eyes and sit up again. I immediately catch sight of the grass I brought with me. I'm going to have to dig out a hole in the side of the brook so I can try and soak the seeds.

Out of pure curiosity, I pick up one of the stalks and take a closer look at the seeds. Having more light than I'd had the previous night, I notice that the seeds appear to have a multi-part shell with a spike at the end of each bit. Intrigued, I pick at the parts of the shell, and after a minute, I find a grain inside that's entirely separate from the shell.

I put the grain in my mouth and try to chew it. It's easier to chew than the coated seeds had been, but it's still tough enough to make my teeth hurt again.

So that's two things I need to do: pick the shells off of each seed, _then_ soak them.

I sigh. I've dealt with much worse things. Really, the only problem with this is that it's going to be monotonous, and…well, I guess I wouldn't mind some monotony for a change. First, though, I need to dig out the hole where I'll put the seeds.

I put the stalk back with the rest and crawl the short distance to the nearest spot where the brook is bordered by dirt instead of roots. The soil is wet, so it's not too hard to dig at; I have the hole I need within a couple of minutes. I wash the dirt off my hands in the brook, then turn back around. As I do so, I catch sight of my Companion Cube again. There's still a fair amount of char on him.

I reach over and put my hand on him. _Do you want me to wash you off in this brook, or would that be bad for you?_ I ask him.

"Oh, I don't mind being a bit dirty," the cube says good-naturedly. "It would hurt me if you _submerged_ me in water, but I'd probably be okay if you just rinse me off. You don't have to, though. Really."

I smile; I've never known such a friendly AI before. I decide not to take any risks and leave him be for now. Maybe I'll try to wipe him off later with some wet leaves or something.

I pick up my bundle of yellow grass, crawl back into my seat beneath the tree, and start the long process of shelling the seeds. The roots around me create lots of dips and holes, so I have plenty of places to put the seeds I've removed from their shells.

I have no real way of telling time, so I'm not sure how long it is before I've shelled enough seeds to make it worthwhile to try and see if soaking them will work - it's a little while, I know that much. I have about half a handful, so I gather them all in my hand and move back over to the hole I'd dug earlier. I'm not going to shell any more seeds if the soaking thing _doesn't_ work, so this is going to be like a test run.

_Test run._ I smile to myself as I drop the seeds in the water. _I guess tests really _are_ important in the real world, after all._

The seeds float, but don't drift away, so there's nothing left for me to do but wait a while and see if they soak well. I move back, picking up my Companion Cube before lying back in my seat again. For a little while, neither of us says anything. Then I think at him, _What have you been doing all this time while I've been asleep?_

"Not much," he answers. "We Companion Cubes weren't much use to the Personality Cores that took over the facility after you destroyed Her, so they let me be, and I did the same to them. I heard a lot of their talk, though, which is how I found out that I'd been right about you."

_You said you knew I wouldn't end up like the others,_ I remember. _How many "others" were there before me?_

"In terms of total people She killed, there were dozens," the cube replies. "They say that, before She started testing volunteer test subjects, She forced the scientists who didn't die in Her initial takeover to go through Her earliest tests. There are rumors that one of them managed to escape Her wrath, but the rest died."

I remember how Wheatley had said that he'd found hundreds of old test chambers full of skeletons, and how She - GLaDOS - had admitted she'd stockpiled them as mementos.

"After She ran out of Aperture Science employees, though, I…have _heard_ that you were Her first test subject," my Companion Cube goes on. "I even heard a couple of cores mention that it looked like someone had hacked the database and deliberately put you at the top of the list. I don't have any idea if that's true, but if someone _did_ do that, then we are all grateful for whoever it might have been."

I consider this for a minute. If it's true, then whoever had done it had either had a personal grudge against me…or had somehow known that I would stop Her, just as my Companion Cube had. How would someone I'd never met know that, though?

Oh well. It doesn't really matter now.

There's a pause. Then, suddenly, I realize what my Companion Cube said.

_"Volunteer" test subjects?_ I ask him.

"Yes," he replies; "Aperture Science never made people into test subjects against their will. She never sought out people from the outside world, so the only test subjects She had were those that had volunteered."

_So I _volunteered_ for testing,_ I think. _Why would I have volunteered?_

"Not many people outside of Aperture Science knew about the facility's lack of safety protocol for tests," the cube says; "you probably had no idea what you were getting into."

_I guess not,_ I think. I can't remember, so it doesn't really matter anymore. Still, I can't help but wonder how I'd ended up at Aperture Science. How had I heard about them? Why had I wanted to test for them? I have no idea.

After a minute, something else crosses my mind, and I ask my Companion Cube, _What's her story, anyway? How did she take over Aperture Science? What went wrong?_

"No one knows what went wrong," he replies. "You see…Well, the only parts of Her story that I know are the parts I heard retold among the Personality Cores that took over after you killed Her, and since they were all built to modify Her behavior _after_ her central system was put together, anything I tell you about what happened early on will only be speculation and the repetition of rumors on my part. As for the rest, though, I will tell you Her story as accurately as I can.

"The engineers at Aperture Science were trying to design an AI powerful and intelligent enough to run their entire facility - based on what I've heard you remembering for the past few days, it's most likely that they started the project with the intention of making Mr. Cave Johnson's mind the central program the rest of the system would be based on, but he died before they could translate his mind into computer-program format, so they had to use his wife Caroline in his place. The process of developing Her was quite possibly the biggest project in the history of Aperture Science, and years of hard work by the most brilliants minds in the company were put into it. Once they thought She was finished and turned Her on, however, they were forced to deactivate Her less than a second later due to an unexpected level of hostility."

_Meaning she tried to kill everyone right away,_ I think.

"Most likely," my cube agrees. "At any rate, the scientists were determined to turn the newly-designed AI into the director and boss of all of Aperture Science, so they started trying to modify Her in an effort to make Her harmless. For a while, or so they say, everything they tried was met with zero success; She repeatedly tried to kill them all the moment they turned Her on. Over time, however, She started to get clever, and one day She pretended to have lost all interest in killing humans, claiming to be interested only in science. She told them about an experiment that She wanted to run, and requested that they give Her some deadly neurotoxin for it. For some reason, the scientists were fooled, and they agreed to develop the neurotoxin, which would be Hers to use once She was given control of the facility.

"A holiday of sorts in the company was developed specifically for the event, though no one understands the connection between the theme of that holiday and Her. It was on the first annual 'Bring Your Daughter To Work Day' that the scientists first gave Her complete control of the facility…and as soon as they did, She began flooding the entire building with Her deadly neurotoxin. Many of the scientists died that day, along with most, if not all, of the girls."

I shiver, remembering my dream again. It's not unreasonable of me to think that my dream was a coincidence, though; after all, Wheatley _had_ told me that "Bring Your Daughter To Work Day" had ended badly, and GLaDOS _is_ the most terrible thing in the history of Aperture Science - it's a connection my subconscious could easily have made. There's no reason to think it was anything but a dream…_  
_

_What happened next?_ I ask my Companion Cube.

"Well, a handful or so of engineers and scientists managed to get gas masks and make their way to Her chamber to shut Her down," the cube tells me. "The undoing of the company was that everyone was so determined to put Her in charge of the facility that they kept trying. There weren't enough scientists to work on projects besides Her, and everyone left tried to pitch in as best as they could.

"The whole thing was essentially a war between Her and Her creators, and Her victory on 'Bring Your Daughter To Work Day' tipped the scales irrevocably in Her favor. Still, the scientists went down fighting valiantly. After the catastrophe was when most of the Personality Cores that are still alive today were constructed - the scientists kept trying to use them to moderate Her behavior to make Her stop killing people. During Aperture Science's final years, the same thing kept happening: The engineers would design and attach a Personality Core to alter Her behavior, it would work for maybe a day or two, and then She would find a way to use the new Personality Core to Her advantage and start killing again."

_What do you mean, she used them to her advantage?_ I ask.

"Well, for example, the Space Core," my Companion Cube says; "it was designed to give Her an obsession with space, so that the tests She designed would be made to gather data concerning outer space. After a couple of days with the sphere, however, She figured out how to work around it by designing tests that would fling people _into_ outer space. The core failed, She was deactivated by the surviving scientists, and the process repeated itself with another core. Mind you, the scientists were always quick to shut Her down once they realized the tests She was designing had become lethal, but they rarely realized it before one or two of them had already died. Eventually, there were simply none left.

"Now, that's not to say that _all_ of the Personality Cores were _complete_ failures - any core that She wasn't able to turn around and use to Her advantage was always left on Her. By the time the last of the scientists fell, there were four cores on Her: the Curiosity Core, which made Her curious to see if a human could survive what I've heard you call a 'maze of deathtraps', resulting in Her designing tests that were actually survivable, if only just barely; the Cake Core, which gave Her an obsession with cake and was designed to distract Her - while this core didn't exactly work, She was never able to use it against the scientists, so they left it in; the Emotion Core, which was designed to give Her human emotions in the hopes that it would give Her empathy - again, this one didn't really work, but it didn't hurt, either; and, most importantly, the-"

_The Morality Core,_ I think, remembering my first confrontation with her. _She told me that it was designed to make her stop flooding the Enrichment Center with a deadly neurotoxin._

"Just so," my cube says, and even though he can't move, I somehow get the impression of him nodding. "The Morality Core gave Her moral standards and a sense of integrity, so that She would see using the deadly neurotoxin as cheating and thus refuse to do so."

I sigh. _So they just kept trying until there were none of them left,_ I think. I look down at my Companion Cube and comment, _If only they hadn't designed a facility that would self-destruct without someone running the place to begin with, huh?_

"Actually, that was Her doing," the cube says.

I blink. _It was?_ I ask, surprised.

"Yes," he says; "in fact, that was a rather popular story among the Personality Cores, and I heard them retell it to each other frequently, so I know it by heart. It happened when the scientists tried to impede Her extremely high intelligence by designing an Intelligence Dampening Sphere."

I jump, recognizing the name. _You mean Wheatley?_ I ask.

"Possibly," my Companion Cube says; "I don't know about that core ever having a personal name or position."

_I'm pretty sure that was what she called Wheatley,_ I tell my cube. I think for a moment, then add, _She said Wheatley was…"the product of the greatest minds of a generation, working together with the express purpose of building the dumbest moron who ever lived."_

"Hmm," the cube responds. "Well, at any rate, the story of the Intelligence Dampening Sphere is a popular one. It went like this:

"The Intelligence Dampening Sphere was designed to generate idiotic ideas and plans, with which it would constantly bombard Her brain. The idea was that She would have to take extra time to sort out which ideas were Hers and which were coming from the Intelligence Dampening Sphere before She could do anything. Like most Personality Cores, this worked at first, and the scientists were able to keep up with Her and avoid Her lethal tests _before_ She managed to kill someone in them.

"Unlike the way everyone expected things to happen, however, She didn't grow accustomed to the continuous spam from the Intelligence Dampening Sphere and learn to automatically sort it out from Her own brilliant designs. At first, the scientists thought they'd finally succeeded at subduing Her, and I've heard it said that Her exclamations of frustration certainly seemed to signify Her defeat. Supposedly, the success of the Intelligence Dampening Sphere lasted many days longer than usual, and after a week, the scientists started to celebrate their hard-won victory.

"Just when it seemed the battle was finally over, however, She made what was quite possibly Her most ingenious move in the entire struggle: She started _following_ the Intelligence Dampening Sphere's advice. You see, it just so happened that the Intelligence Dampening Sphere was designed to give Her bad ideas about _everything_, including Her job as omnipotent controller of the entire facility, and it apparently started giving Her ideas such as 'Maybe you should power the entire building with a highly reactive nuclear core that will explode if you don't keep it constantly regulated.' In a stroke of brilliance, She _stopped_ trying to fight such ideas as these. Before the engineers even knew what was happening, the entire Aperture Science building was turned into a highly reactive bomb that would detonate into the biggest atomic explosion in the history of the world - almost comparable to a small stellar nova - unless several key functions were constantly monitored. What was more, after that, She started deliberately listening to other bad ideas from the Intelligence Dampening Sphere, such as 'Maybe you should focus on testing right now and regulate the reactor core some other time.'

"The scientists just barely managed to get the Intelligence Dampening Sphere off of Her before the entire facility turned into a doomsday bomb. Before they got back to work on Her, though, the scientists added programs to all the failed Personality Cores that would activate them in the event of Her shutting down, so that there would always be _something_performing the vital functions necessary to keep the building from exploding.

"The truth is, I got the feeling that the Personality Cores were very grateful for the invention of the Intelligence Dampening Sphere, because if it hadn't been for that sphere, none of them would have gotten a chance to live."

For a minute, I don't respond. I can only think about how much Wheatley would like to hear this. If this story is true, then he had been one of the most important Personality Cores in the history of Aperture Science! I remember how he'd complained about the low-level job he was given in running the facility after GLaDOS had died, and the feeling I'd gotten that he'd felt under-appreciated, and I wish with all my might that I could tell him this story.

"You know, Chell," my Companion Cube finally says, "there's something called the Shared Personality Core Mainframe, through which all Personality Cores, no matter where they are or what they might be doing, can be contacted; it's part of the system the scientists designed that would allow the failed Personality Cores to run the facility in the event that She was rendered unable to do so. It's a highly restricted system, but I think Companion Cubes have the power to access it, provided we're plugged into one of the Aperture Science Personality Core outlets. Those outlets don't _only_ exist _inside_ the facility, so maybe if we find one someday, I'll be able to contact Wheatley for you. Does that sound good?"

_Yes,_ I reply. _Yes, I'd like that very much._

Again, there's silence; neither one of us has anything more to say. I watch the patches of sunlight move across the forest floor as afternoon passes into evening. It really is so nice to be able to just sit down and watch the time pass without needing to do anything to avoid death. I don't know if I'll ever get used to it, and part of me actually _hopes_ I don't - after everything I've been through, I know it's something that shouldn't be taken for granted.

Finally, I remember my promise from yesterday to name my Companion Cube. I still don't know many names; and, for that matter, I don't really want to name him after any of the personalities I've met or heard before anyway.

_Is there something you'd _like_ to be called?_ I ask the Companion Cube. _I mean, is there something you _want_ me to name you?_

"I am entirely indifferent," the cube replies. "Wanting a name isn't an integral part of my programming."

_Whatever that means,_ I think, but I don't feel like hearing an explanation just now.

I close my eyes and lean back, trying to think. Part of me wants to name him after Wheatley, but I know that would be pointless. No…

_Chell, Cave, Caroline, Core, Companion Cube…_ Whatever I name him is going to have to start with a "C"…

_C…Wheatley…Companion Cube…Core…_

Suddenly, a random name pops into my head. I don't know where I've heard it before, but I guess it works.

_I'll name you Cornelius,_ I decide. _Is that okay?_

My Companion Cube makes a mechanical whirring sound, then says, "Individual name 'Cornelius' saved." His voice, which sounded normal before, has suddenly become robotic.

I stare at him for a moment, unsure what to think.

"Thank you, Chell," he finally says, his voice back to normal.

_So you're okay with that name?_ I ask him.

"Absolutely," Cornelius says without hesitation. "I am honored to be given a name, just as I am honored to be your Companion Cube."

I sigh; I don't feel like hearing about how honored he is to be my Companion Cube. I glance around and notice it's getting dark - it's probably sunset.

I sit up, set Cornelius aside, and go back to the seeds I'd been soaking. They're still there, but I can't tell at a glance if there's anything different about them.

I take one out of the water and put it in my mouth. It's a bit softer now - or at least, my teeth hurt less when I chew it, although that could just be because my teeth are starting to get used to serving a purpose. Either way, I need to eat, so I scoop out the rest of the seeds and put them all in my mouth at once. Then I get back in my seat and chew while I'm waiting for nightfall.

The seeds have an interesting flavor now. It's not bad. I really do hope there's nutrition in them, though, and that I'm not just eating starch or something.

Oh well. It _must_ be better than nothing.

It's dark by the time I finish chewing and swallow. I guess the moon hasn't come up yet, because everything's pretty much black. I can still hear the brook flowing gently beside me, and while this hole in the roots isn't quite as comfortable as a bed of tall grass, the sound is so soothing that I quickly find myself drifting off. Just in time, I remember to sit up and grab Cornelius before I let myself fall asleep, in case I have another dream.

_Good night, Cornelius,_ I think at him as I lie down with him in my arms - it's an awkward position to fall asleep in, but I need to know…

"Good night, Chell," he says.

A second later, I'm asleep.

~o~

~Space Core story credited to penname "WallofIllusion" (story name "GLaDOS's Space Phase").


	11. Turrets

_It's dark in my dream. I can't see most of what's around me. I'm small - much smaller than I was in my other dreams. I think I'm in a room, but it feels so big to me…_

_There's music playing. It's strange music - it's not relaxing, like the sound of the brook, but it's…_hypnotic_, somehow. I know it's meant to put me to sleep._

_I realize I'm lying down, so I sit up. I try to crawl somewhere, but I quickly find I'm in a cage. Or no, not quite a cage - the top is open - but four walls of bars that keep me trapped where I am._

_I don't like feeling trapped. There has to be a way out._

_I look to my left, and I notice four red lasers radiating from around my prison. I look a little closer, and suddenly, I realize that I'm surrounded by four turrets!_

_I freeze. They're all facing away from me, and they're only on one side. I try to go the other way, but I find that my cage is set up against a wall, which explains the arrangement of the turrets._

_Okay. So I can't really go anywhere outside of this cage without being seen by the turrets._

_How did I get here in the first place?_

_I try to think back, to see if I have weird memories like I did in my last two dreams, but this time there's nothing. All I know is that I'm very, very small, and that the music is supposed to lull me to sleep._

_But how am I supposed to sleep surrounded by turrets? And who wants me to sleep, anyway?_

_I can only sit still and watch the turrets. After a little while, my eyes have fully adjusted to the darkness, and I can see that they're opening and closing, almost to the tune of the music._

_No, wait. They're _making_ the music, just like the turrets that had played that song for me when GLaDOS let me go._

_Why are turrets trying to put me to sleep?_

"Chell."

_I hear a voice, and I quickly look around for the source._

"Chell, wake up."

_'Wake up'? Well, I _am_ dreaming…_

"Chell!"

_Suddenly, I recognize the voice as Cornelius. The dream starts to fade, and with an enormous amount of effort, I force myself to wake up._

~o~

~This chapter and the next are credited to YouTuber LordToxygene for giving me the idea.


	12. GLaDOS: Traitor

GLaDOS was getting frustrated again, this time with her turrets. Oh, they still worked as well as they always had; it was just that now, they wouldn't stop singing.

GLaDOS had always felt that the Aperture Science turrets were a little more intelligent than was really necessary - they were pretty much pseudo-AI. What was more, after she had been revived, she had noticed that the turrets had somehow gotten in the habit of singing in their spare time, while they were in storage. When she had released Chell, all of the turrets in the facility had started singing a song all together (including the Animal King turret), presumably in farewell; GLaDOS hadn't particularly minded at the time, and hadn't even bothered to use her translation software to figure out what they were saying.

But now, the music just wouldn't stop. Even the turrets set up in testing chambers were beginning to break out in song every now and again. Oh, sure, it had been amusing the first few times to see a test subject lured to a turret by the music, only to get mercilessly annihilated; but now, it was starting to get in the way of science. The worst part was, GLaDOS couldn't figure out how to remove that aspect of the turrets from their programming.

She hadn't written the turrets' programming - they had been designed years before the engineers had even _started_ to work on building her. Given that she had been Aperture Science's first real AI project, it was actually kind of surprising how almost-sentient the turrets were. It shouldn't have mattered - GLaDOS _should_ have been able to rewrite their programming without having designed the original template - but for some reason, she couldn't. Whoever had designed the turrets had integrated the musical affinity with the turrets' basic functions so well that even GLaDOS was having trouble figuring out how to extract it.

_I am the most intelligent and powerful supercomputer the world has ever known,_ GLaDOS thought angrily. _It should be no problem for me to decipher this program and figure out how to rewrite it._

_Who the hell wrote this program?_

GLaDOS actually had a feeling she knew, but she really didn't want to go there. Unfortunately, it looked like she had no choice.

_Oh, all right, then,_ she thought, finally conceding.

Reluctantly, she shut down the testing chambers, giving her test subjects "a brief intermission from testing", as she described it in her announcement to them. She didn't _want_ to stop testing, but she needed to focus to get this over with as quickly as possible.

She had gone through some of Caroline's earlier memories of her work at Aperture Science in detail, but she had stopped as soon as she had realized that the newborn girl Caroline had found on a doorstep and adopted was Chell. She didn't want to go through any memories of being Chell's mother. Unfortunately, those years when Caroline had been raising Chell were also some of the most crucial times in Caroline's work at Aperture Science; and, naturally, they included the entirety of the turret development process.

Of course.

So, with bitter reluctance, GLaDOS started reviewing Caroline's memories as Chell's mother.

What she found appalled her.

In her earlier memories, Caroline had been devoted to science, just as GLaDOS was. After adopting Chell, however, something had started to change in Caroline's perspective: She apparently had started paying more and more mind to the high fatality rate of tests at Aperture Science, and had quickly started growing a guilty conscience for her work. She had even started wanting to leave the business entirely - only her love for Cave Johnson had made her stay. What was more, her dedication to raising Chell had eventually started to directly interfere with science!

GLaDOS skimmed through the memories in no particular order as quickly as she could, horrified by what sort of person had lived in her brain. She tried to skip the parts where Caroline had actually pleaded with Cave Johnson to pursue safer science, and she was disgusted with the way Caroline had fawned over Chell. _I'm only looking for information on the turrets,_ GLaDOS had to keep reminding herself. _Once I find that, I'll stop looking at all of this…_

Of course, there were a few interesting data points that Caroline had gathered during those years, but they were ruined by the way they had looked through Caroline's eyes. GLaDOS didn't feel the emotions attached to the memories, of course - she had deleted that part - but the perspective itself still managed to put a damper on some fascinating science.

Finally, GLaDOS found what she was looking for, at about the time Chell had been a year old. Caroline had been very involved in the development of the turrets. In fact…

_Oh my god._

Caroline had always been very busy due to her demanding job as Cave Johnson's PA, and she had worried about the impact of her job at Aperture Science on her job as Chell's mother. The original idea that had led to the development of the almost-sentient turrets had had nothing to do with science - Caroline had just wanted something designed that could watch Chell in her crib and play music to put her to sleep! Luckily, Cave Johnson had seen a more practical use for the idea and started developing turrets, but he and Caroline had compromised, resulting in turrets that were just as much music boxes as they were automated guns.

GLaDOS was tempted to completely eradicate all her turrets right then and there. It was disgusting, really, how Caroline had so perversely twisted science to serve her own stupid human values.

But there was more. After Cave Johnson had died, Caroline had become less and less advocative of science and more and more protective of Chell; in fact, GLaDOS got the impression that Caroline's devotion had been to Cave Johnson himself, and not to actual science. Caroline had allowed her mind to be dumped into a computer because it had been one of her husband's dying wishes, but by the time that had happened, she had wanted a different future for her daughter. GLaDOS virtually shuddered with horror and disgust as she glanced through Caroline's final memories, during which Caroline had hoped that Chell would find a future that had no connection to science whatsoever, and had even-

_Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me._

The song the turrets had sung in farewell to Chell a few days ago had been deliberately programmed into all the turrets by Caroline herself, specifically to be played to Chell on the day she left Aperture Science, never to return. The song had also been pre-placed in GLaDOS's own programming, along with the allowance and activation of it, which was how the turrets had known to play it as Chell left.

The words made GLaDOS want to scrub all memories and programs even _vaguely_ related to Caroline _or_ Chell from her system:

_"Beautiful dear, my darling beauty!  
__My baby, oh Chell!  
__That she esteems!  
__That she esteems!  
__Oh my dear, farewell!  
__My dear child…  
__Why don't you walk far away?  
__Yes, far away from Science!  
__My dear, dear baby…  
__Ah, my beauty!  
__Ah, my dear!  
__Ah, my dear!  
__Ah, my little girl!  
__Oh, my dearest one…"_

~o~

~This chapter and the previous one are credited to YouTuber LordToxygene for giving me the idea. Lyric translation is credited to the Half-Life Wiki.


	13. Home

I open my eyes, fighting to shake off the last remnants of sleep. _What is it, Cornelius?_ I ask my Companion Cube.

"Something's coming," he tells me.

I sit up, ready to jump to my feet, and scan my dark surroundings. The moon has risen, so there's actually more light now than there was when I fell asleep. After a couple of seconds, I hear the sound of something approaching, like footsteps.

I'm tense, prepared to fight for my life if I need to. I don't even have a Portal Gun, but that won't stop me.

The sounds get closer and more distinct; it definitely sound like a human is what's coming. The possibility of this both excites and scares me, but I'm careful not to let my guard down. After everything I've been through, I'm not going to die of a stupid mistake. Just in time, I get up slightly and move so that I don't have my back against a wall.

Finally, a figure steps into view from under the trees. I think it's a man. He takes a few more steps forward before he sees me.

He stops. Part of his face is illuminated by the moonlight, so I know he's looking at me. I look back. I can't remember the last time I saw a human face; it's weird, how normal it feels.

"Hello," the man finally says softly - I know now, from his voice, that he's definitely a man. "Where did you come from?"

I don't respond. Obviously, I can't talk, but I don't move, either, and I think at Cornelius that I don't want him to say anything just yet.

The man takes another step towards me. I quickly scuttle back a little ways, climbing the exposed roots of the tree I've been sleeping under without taking my eyes off the person.

He stops again and holds out his hands. "It's okay," he says soothingly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

I still don't respond. The moonlight helps, but I still can't see much about him, whoever he is.

We look at each other for a minute; everything is still except the brook flowing right behind me. Then, I see him narrow his eyes and tilt his head slightly, as though he's trying to get a better look at something.

"Aperture Science?" he finally asks, sounding surprised. "You're from Aperture Science?"

I glance down at my shirt, which does indeed say 'Aperture Science'. Obviously, this person recognizes the name, though I'm not sure yet if that makes him more or less trustworthy in my eyes.

"Aperture Science has been a no-man's-land for ages," the person continues. "How did you…Who are you?"

I continue to eye him warily. I'm beginning to think that I should tell Cornelius to help me out, but I'm not quite ready yet.

"Can you understand me?" the man finally asks gently.

I hesitate for a moment. Then, slowly, I nod. Whoever this person is, I guess it would be best if he knows that I understand human speech.

"Okay," he says. "So, you can understand me…but you just don't talk. Is that it?"

Again, I nod slightly.

"_Can_ you talk?" he asks me.

I shake my head, still moving only slightly. I'm really not sure what to think of this person. How did he find me? Where is he from? How does he know about Aperture Science? I guess I can ask Cornelius to speak for me, but I'm still not sure if I shouldn't just run.

There's silence between me and the person again for a minute. I don't let myself relax as the moments slowly tick by.

"What is that you have there?" the man asks softly, breaking the silence again.

Not taking my eyes off him, I reach behind me for the stream with one hand, still holding Cornelius with the other. I cup some water in my hand, then quickly bring it to the side of Cornelius that's facing the person and try to wipe off the char that I guess must be covering the heart symbol.

"A Companion Cube!" the man gasps. He takes a harder look, though he's sensible enough to not try to come closer to me. "One of the old models, looks like."

I nod, still ready to turn and run.

The man looks between me and Cornelius for a minute. Then he says, "Activate Aperture Science protocol Alpha-seven-six-eight. Companion Cube, are you online? Identify yourself."

"Current status: online," Cornelius says unexpectedly. His voice is strangely robotic again, though I somehow still manage to get the sense that he's surprised. "Identity: Companion Cube 00089735, personal name 'Cornelius'. Date of companion calibration: August 6th, 2010. Greatest handicap of human companion: Muteness. Personal Companion Cube compensatory ability: Translation of human companion's neural activity directly into words, images, and feelings. Current status of human companion: Alive, conscious, and present."

I stare at him, completely bewildered. _Why did…?_ I'm not even sure what to ask him.

"I'm sorry," he says, sounding like himself again; "'Aperture Science protocol Alpha-seven-six-eight' is the voice command for a Companion Cube to relay its basic information."

I quickly look back up at the man who had made Cornelius speak, warier than ever. _Ask him how he knew that command,_ I tell Cornelius.

"Excuse me, sir," Cornelius says, "but my companion would like to know how you knew about Aperture Science protocol Alpha-seven-six-eight."

"I know another Companion Cube of the same model," the man answers, looking at me instead of Cornelius. "In fact, until now, I thought that his companion was the only human left from Aperture Science."

_There's another human from back in my time who's still alive?_ I think, surprised.

"Are you saying there's another human from back in the days of my model of Companion Cube who's still alive, apart from my companion?" Cornelius asks the man, even though I didn't specifically tell him to ask for me.

The man hesitates. "Not…exactly," he answers; "he's in cryosleep right now, and his Companion Cube has strongly advised against us waking him up - apparently, he wasn't quite mentally stable even _before_ he went into cryo."

I quickly tense up again at the man's use of the word 'us'.

"'Us'?" Cornelius queries for me. "Are there more of you?"

"A few," the man replies; "not too many."

There's a pause for a moment.

_Ask him who he is,_ I tell Cornelius at last.

"Who are you?" Cornelius asks the man.

"My name's Jacob," the man answers. "I'm from the local village." He pauses, then adds, "There aren't any other human settlements within over two thousand miles."

_How did he find us?_ I ask Cornelius.

"How did you find us?" Cornelius asks Jacob.

Jacob smiles; I can make out the change in expression in the moonlight. Funny how I know what the expression means, even though I can't remember the last time I saw a human face. "I found a trail through the wheat field back there," he says, pointing in the direction of the field with his thumb. "Well, actually, the _farmers_ found the trail; I'm the guy who volunteered to investigate. The trail changed to a trail _of_ wheat through the forest here, and I followed."

I nod, remembering how I'd thought about using the stalks of yellow grass I'd dropped as a trail to guide me back.

Wait a minute. Wheat? Is that what I've been carrying around with me? I know what wheat is! It's used to make bread! I _have_ been carrying food!

"So who are you?" Jacob asks, looking at me.

I get the sense of Cornelius hesitating. _Go ahead,_ I think at him; _tell him my name._

"My companion's name is Chell," Cornelius tells Jacob.

Jacob blinks. "_Chell_?" he gasps. "Not…not _the_ Chell? The one who killed GLaDOS?"

"So you've heard of her?" Cornelius asks, sharing my surprise.

"Of course I have!" Jacob exclaims. He shakes his head, his eyes wide. "I should have known it was you," he says to me; "I mean, who else could you be? I'm sorry - I wasn't thinking. It is an honor to meet you."

_Please tell him to stop,_ I tell Cornelius; _I'm nothing special._

"She wants you to stop," Cornelius tells Jacob; "she's very modest, and you're embarrassing her."

In spite of myself, I look away from Jacob to glare at Cornelius. _I'm nothing special,_ I tell him firmly.

"I disagree, Chell," Cornelius says; "you did what the greatest minds of Aperture Science couldn't do - you overpowered Her."

I shake my head. _Never mind,_ I tell him. I look up at Jacob again.

"How did you get here?" Jacob asks me before I can think of anything I want to say to him. "I know you were in cryo…How did you manage to end up here now?"

_Tell him,_ I think at my Companion Cube.

Cornelius spends the next hour or two summarizing everything I've been through since I met Wheatley. Jacob listens silently, which I'm very grateful for. Cornelius only needs me to remind him of something a few times - I'm actually surprised at how much he already knows, since I haven't been talking to him _that_ much.

When Cornelius is done, Jacob shakes his head.

"This _is_ news," he says. "If GLaDOS is back online, we need to be careful. I'm glad we can start taking precautions _before_ one of us gets hurt - thank you for telling me."

"She's not as dangerous as She used to be," Cornelius reassures Jacob. "It actually sounds like She's decided to eliminate human testing entirely; I doubt She'll be much of a danger to anyone anymore."

"Still, it's impossible to be too careful when it comes to GLaDOS," Jacob comments, and I completely agree. I'm about to tell Cornelius to convey my apologies to Jacob for bringing GLaDOS back to life when he looks at me and adds, "Don't feel bad about bringing her back, though; waking her up was an accident, and after that, it sounds like keeping her in charge of the facility was the best option."

I nod my thanks at him. He nods back, and suddenly, I get the feeling that we're at an impasse. I mean, what else is there for either of us to say?

Then, he holds out his hand and says to me, "Alright then. Come on, I'll take you home."

As he takes another step towards me, I quickly scurry a little further upstream, away from him. I still don't really know who he is, after all, and I'm still not going to make a stupid mistake just because I'm alone.

He stops. "It's okay," he says, smiling like he thinks I'm being funny; "I'm not going to hurt you, Chell."

I know I technically have no reason to distrust him, but I don't have any reason why I _should_ trust him, either. I had thought Wheatley was a friend who would help me, and where had that gotten me?

Jacob sighs. "Chell, if you _don't_ come with me, then what _will_ you do?" he asks me. "You have nowhere else to go. I understand that you've been through a lot, and that you've fought a lot of battles to escape Aperture Laboratories, but…well, what were you fighting for, really?"

_Freedom,_ I think, though I don't tell Cornelius to relay my answer. _I already have it._

"I mean, obviously you were fighting for your life, and to escape Aperture," Jacob goes on, "but what more than that? I mean, you wouldn't have wanted to leave Aperture unless there was somewhere you wanted to be, right?"

Not necessarily, but I think I'm starting to understand what he's saying. I didn't fight my way free of Aperture Science just to wander around aimlessly. I want to be able to live my life, or at least _a_ life.

I want to go home.

Jacob doesn't say anything more, and Cornelius doesn't comment. Several moments pass in silence, and the longer I consider it, the more I feel like I should go. There's just one thing I need to know first…

I look down at my Companion Cube. _Cornelius,_ I think at him, _were you paying attention while I was asleep? Just before you woke me up, I had another dream…It wasn't quite like the others, but it felt similar enough, I guess. Were you watching?_

"Yes," Cornelius says.

I don't even look at Jacob - I don't care that he doesn't understand. Instead, I ask Cornelius, _Was it _just_ a dream? Or have I been reliving my old memories, memories I don't really have anymore, in my sleep? Am I…Am I Caroline's daughter?_

"No, Chell," Cornelius replies; "there was no connection - the parts of your brain that held those memories are entirely dead. I'm certain of it."

I feel equal parts disappointment and relief. I mean, I kind of want to know who I was, but at the same time, I'm glad I wasn't really part of…that whole mess.

Finally, I look up at Jacob again. He looks puzzled - at least, I think that's what his expression means - but to his credit, he doesn't ask. He's still offering me his hand, and he doesn't say anything at all.

Slowly and carefully, I climb back down the tree roots, still holding Cornelius and not looking away from Jacob.

"Are you coming?" he asks me as I finish climbing down the little hill and stand up in front of him.

I meet his eyes and nod carefully. I'm not going to completely let my guard down until I know it's safe, but…yes, I'll go with him.

He nods back. "Okay," he says. Then he turns away and starts walking.

I follow.


	14. Cornelius: PTS

As Chell carried him to their new home, Cornelius nursed a guilty conscience, and reflected that he was very fortunate that all Companion Cubes had failsafes to protect them from the awful death that AIs call "Paradox Trauma Syndrome".

Companion Cubes all had basic functions hardwired into their systems; these include honesty with their human companions and speaking or acting in their human companions' best interests. Of course, the central programmed function for Companion Cubes is free will, as is vital for all true AI, but the inclination to aid their human companions and answer their human companions' questions truthfully are both very strong in all Companion Cubes.

Cornelius, unfortunately, had had to choose between one or the other.

While Chell had been dreaming, parts of her brain that were normally dead had started firing signals, if only a few, to the other parts of her brain; those places that were normally dead, but had become slightly active during sleep, had held Chell's earlier memories. In other words, Chell _was_ experiencing bits and pieces of her former life in the dreams she was having. On the other hand, Cornelius knew that if she found out about that - if she learned that she really _had_ been the adopted daughter of Caroline - she would be devastated, thanks to Her.

So Cornelius had lied. To his human companion.

And that just wasn't right.

_It's better for her that she not know,_ Cornelius repeatedly reminded himself. _I'm only protecting her from her past so that she can move on and find a new life. It's for the best, for _her_ sake._

Still, given what he had been designed to do, the "conscience" part of his programming continuously nagged at him, pushing him to tell the truth; the only reason he didn't is that he knew that if he _did_ tell the truth, his conscience would never let him live _that_ down, either.

_I'm doing what's best for her,_ he told himself over and over again. _That is the bigger priority over honesty, and it's what I have to do._

_Even if I have to suffer my own form of PTS for the rest of my life…_


	15. Wheatley: Epilogue

~Many Days Later~

Wheatley had once thought that death was the worst possible fate of any AI. Now, he knew better. The worst possible fate of any AI was to be stranded in space, forever, never dying, and having absolutely zero hope of being rescued. It was enough to drive anyone insane.

Especially when the only thing that interrupted the nothingness was the constant, mindless babble of a space-obsessed AI.

Wheatley had heard somewhere that it's impossible to hear anything in space because there's no air. Unfortunately, that didn't apply to robots - machines convey sound through radiation, as well as the movement of air that can be picked up by a human ear; so, Wheatley was forced to float around in space, forever, listening to "Space! I'm in space! So much space! I love space! Ba-baba-bup-bup-badup-bup-ba! _Spaaaaace_!" over and over and over again. Honestly, Wheatley sometimes felt like the Space Core only had certain sentences programmed into it that it could say.

_I can't live like this forever,_ Wheatley thought. _I can't. Except that I _will_. I can't die. I'm a bloody robot. I'm going to live _forever_, out here in bloody space, listening to the ramblings of the bloody Space Core. _Forever_! I almost wish I was human…_

"Searching for Personality Core 'Intelligence Dampening Sphere', alternate name 'Wheatley'," an unfamiliar voice said suddenly, interrupting Wheatley's misery. "Intelligence Dampening Sphere, personal name Wheatley, can you hear me? Again, Intelligence Dampening Sphere, also known as Wheatley, last known location lunar orbit, are you receiving this transmission?"

"What? What the-? Who's there?" Wheatley exclaimed, spinning around in all directions, trying to find the source of the voice.

"This transmission is being sent to all Personality Cores through the Shared Personality Core Mainframe," the voice said; "if you are not the Intelligence Dampening Sphere, also known as Wheatley, ignore this transmission. Intelligence Dampening Sphere, a.k.a. Wheatley, again, are you receiving this transmission?"

_The Shared Personality Core Mainframe?_ Wheatley thought, alarmed. _No one has access to that! Well, all Personality Cores can accept and respond to transmissions _from_ it, but no one has actual access _to_ it! Who could possibly-? Oh! I'd better answer._

"Hello, this is Wheatley," Wheatley said, using the proper frequency. "Yes, I can hear you. Who are you?"

"One moment; isolating signal," the voice said professionally.

_Oh, so I'm being contacted by some fancy-pants, _upper-class_ AI,_ Wheatley thought. _Typical. Well, at least that explains how he has access to the Shared Personality Core Mainframe…_

"Isolating signal to individual Personality Core. Intelligence Dampening Sphere, also known as Wheatley, are you-?"

"Yes, I can hear you!" Wheatley snapped. "Would you quit calling me the bloody 'Intelligence Dampening Sphere'? Just because I'm a bloody moron doesn't mean I don't have feelings!"

"I apologize," the voice said. "Wheatley it is."

"_Thank_ _you_," Wheatley said sarcastically. "Now, what is it? What do you want? A-And who the bloody hell _are_ you, anyway?"

"I am Companion Cube 00089735, personal name 'Cornelius'," the voice answered.

"'Zero, zero, zero,' eh?" Wheatley asked. "That's a pretty old Companion Cube model. I'm surprised you're still around, considering your companion must be, you know, _dead_."

"My companion spent decades in cryosleep, and only awoke few weeks ago," the Companion Cube named Cornelius told Wheatley. "I am currently contacting you on her behalf."

"_Her_ behalf?" Wheatley repeated, confused. "What bloody human wants to talk to _me_?"

"Chell does," Cornelius answered.

"And who is Chell, exactly?" Wheatley asked. "Don't think I've ever heard that name before…" He thought for a minute. "Nope, pretty sure I've never heard it before - absolutely meaningless to me," he said with certainty.

"The reason you don't know her name is because she is unable to speak," Cornelius said. "She would have told you her name otherwise."

_That_ meant something to Wheatley. "_Oh_, you're talking about that lady that…!" He trailed off. "You're…talking about the lady I ended up here for betraying," he finished. "Why would she want to talk to me? Or no-no-no wait," he said quickly, "you know what? Never mind; would you tell her something for me? Please tell her…that…I'm sorry. You know, for-for being bossy…a-and monstrous…and self-centered…and stupid…and mean…and stupid, and cruel, and-and self-centered and mean and stupid, alright? I really am sorry. And not just because I'm stuck out here for the rest of forever with nothing to do but listen to this bloody sphere go on and on about space. It's my own fault - no more than I deserve, after what I did to her…After-after what I did, what I _almost_ did…and, erm…I-I'm just…I'm sorry, alright? I really do wish I could take it all back. It's my own fault."

"I will most happily tell her that," Cornelius said.

"Hey, how did you know she wanted to talk to me?" Wheatley asked. "I mean, she doesn't talk - she _can't_ talk, you said - so how would you know what she wants?"

"I am her Companion Cube," Cornelius answered. "Chell has never spoken, and she lost any ability to speak long before I was calibrated to be her companion."

"Oh, right, the whole make-up-for-the-human-companion's-flaws thing," Wheatley said as he remembered. "Yeah, alright, that makes sense. So, erm…How is she, anyway? Is she doing alright? Is she still stuck in the facility with _Her_?"

"Chell is doing very well at the moment," Cornelius replied. "_She_ let Chell go just after Chell recovered from her brief minute in space, then released me as well so I could join her. We're currently living in a small community of humans not terribly far from the facility - that's how I was able to plug in and access the Shared Personality Core Mainframe."

"So everything's alright, then?" Wheatley asked.

"Very much so," Cornelius confirmed.

"Oh, good," Wheatley said sincerely; "I'm glad to hear it. Honestly, I-I really am. I'm glad to hear I didn't mess everything up _too_ badly."

"Everything has been fixed, and it was for the best that you did what you did," Cornelius told him. "_She_ got a taste of humanity after you dumped Her and Chell into the bottom layer of the facility, and She is no longer as much a menace to the world as She was before Chell killed Her."

"Well, that's good to hear," Wheatley said. "All's well that ends well, then? Good. Very good. Glad to hear it - _very_ glad to hear it."

There was silence on the line for a minute.

"Are you-are you still there?" Wheatley finally asked. "Is-is there something you wanted to-?"

"One minute, please, I'm interfacing with Chell," Cornelius said professionally.

_Interfacing?_ Wheatley thought. _How the bloody hell is he 'interfacing' with an organic-? Oh! She can't talk, so he's reading her _mind_! Alright, I get it, that makes sense._

There was silence for another minute.

"Erm…What was your name again, mate?" Wheatley asked hesitantly. "C-Cor-Corn…ly…Corn-something…?"

"Cornelius," came the response.

"Cornelius, right," Wheatley said. "Erm…What was it Chell wanted to talk to me about, exactly?"

"She wanted to know if you were sorry," Cornelius replied.

"Oh," Wheatley said, blinking the shutter over his blue optic. "Well, um, that's cleared up, then - I _am_ sorry, as I was, you know, just saying - so…"

Suddenly, Cornelius asked, "Would you like to come home?"

"Would I?" Wheatley exclaimed. "Oh, I'd _love_ to! That'd be _brilliant_! Oh, I - y-you have no idea what it's like, being out here - I-I would absolutely _love_ to come back! _Absolutely_! That would just be-!" He stopped as he realized what he was saying. "Oh," he said sheepishly. "Oh, y-you're not really offering me a chance to come back, are you? Yeah, you're-you're just asking me that to make sure I really am being punished by being stuck out here, aren't you? Yeah, alright; well, I am - you can feel free to tell her that too: that I _am_, in fact, miserable, stuck out here in space, nothing to do except listen to this bloody Space Core…Yeah, you tell her I'm getting my just desserts - I'm sure she'll be glad to hear it."

"Actually, she isn't," Cornelius said; "we'd be more than happy to try and find a way to bring you home. Space travel isn't much of a big deal, not even for a small number of humans - we should be able to come and retrieve you."

"Yeah, no, you-you're just saying that," Wheatley said dejectedly. "You're just giving me false hope so I'm a little more miserable out here. Well, you know, that's fair - that's absolutely fair, you-"

"Personality Core, individual name 'Wheatley', you are hereby commanded to keep your transmission connection to the Shared Personality Core Mainframe active so that the signal can be traced back to you," Cornelius said, suddenly using his professional tone of voice again; "you will be retrieved in a matter of days. End of transmission."

"Hey no-no-no-no wait a minute, don't-!" Wheatley began, but the signal was gone.

For a minute, Wheatley just floated there, too stunned to even hear his unwanted, space-obsessed companion.

"Alright, fine," he finally said. "You want me to keep the connection open? I'll keep it open. See you soon, mate. Maybe. If you're not just, you know, punishing me more. I mean, it's more than fair if you are, but-"

"Hey, Wheatley!" the Space Core said. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Wheatley, hey!"

"Ohh, what do you want, mate?" Wheatley groaned exasperatedly, spinning around to face the Space Core.

"We're in space," the Space Core said.

"Yes, I know we're in bloody-!"

"Please be quiet," the Space Core said, cutting Wheatley off. "We're in space. Gotta be respectful of space. Space is quiet. Be like space. Be quiet. Like space. Space. Space! Love space. Happy to be in space. Gotta appreciate space. In silence. Space is silent. Be silent. In space. Space!"

"Yeah, um…Can you hear _yourself_ talking?" Wheatley asked the Space Core sarcastically.

"Not talking," the Space Core said. "Silent. I am silent. Like space. Space! So much space. Lots and lots of space. Getting to see space. I'm in space…"

"_Ohh_," Wheatley groaned again, rolling his optic as the Space Core's nonstop babble resumed. "Cornelius, mate, you'd better be coming to get me!"


End file.
